ChArMeD lIfE
by StArRy1233
Summary: Theres a new girl on the team with explosive powers! But what happens when she gets kidnapped by a charming Frenchman with chilling powers? How will BB be able to take it? A NaomiBBIce love triangle. Warning! this is a VERY strong pg13 peoples!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer- I own nothing  
  
IMPORTANT- This is a sequel to my other story, ThE BrIdGe. So if you haven't read it, you might want to click on my name up top there and read it real fast. It's not that long, I promise! Now, on with the story!!  
  
Now, it's a common misconception that the Teen Titans do not receive schooling. True, we do not attend high school with all the other teenagers in Gothem, it would be far too dangerous for our peers, Slade might attack the school in attempt to get at us. But the Mayor told us that that was no excuse for missing out on an education. You see, we take the exact same finals as every other high schooler. But we study in the tower in our spare time, when we are finished saving the city from sick-os. We are supposed to read a little bit from a text book before we go to bed each night, but some of us procrastinate and wait the night before the final before we study.  
  
"Perhaps you should have studied when you were supposed to," said Starfire as she sat at the foot of my bed, painting her nails a sparkly purple color. I was lying on my stomach on my bed, my white halve cape hanging over the side of my bed.  
  
"No shit Starfire," I replied as I franticly flipped through the pages of Aliens and Relations textbook. "Where is the chapter on the Getrons? Weren't they the first alien spices to land on Earth?" I asked Star.  
  
"Negative, that was Noitids." She replied as she inspected her freshly painted nails. I was beginning to wish I had never taught her about nail painting, it's her new obsession now.  
  
"God damn it," I murmured under my breath, it wasn't MY fault I had missed out on about 150 years, I don't know why I even have to take this test. I hunched over my textbook, my blonde hair that I always wore in pigtails tickled the sides of my cheeks. I brushed them back, only for them to fall right back down again. I flipped through the pages trying to find- oh! Here it is!  
  
*Noitids- This sophisticated race is closely related to the Pixics spices. From the galaxy MI122, these red pigmented spices were the first extra terrestrial race to travel to Earth and spread Noitidic technology to humans. One of the most important technology they gave Earth was the Solfic energy, the 190 element, and the key to space travel.*  
  
Yes! Finally! I began scribbling notes down.  
  
"Naomi?" Star ask.  
  
"Mmm?" I replied, not really listening, as I quickly copied down the key information.  
  
"I have something to ask you... about Robin."  
  
"Starfire, if it doesn't have to do with the Quadrant 250 theory, I really can't handle it right now." I regretted it the second the cross world left my mouth. I looked up to see Starfire with a hurt expression on her face.  
  
"Oh! Star, I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I'm just really stressed out right now." She forced a smile, but it didn't really meet her eyes.  
  
"Ohhhh, sorry Starry!" I put my arms around her and gave her a big hug. "Now what were you saying? About Robin right?"  
  
"Oh yes!" She exclaimed, her eyes glowing brightly, "You see, friend Naomi, of all my time her on Earth, Robin is the most wonderful-" I tuned out and started flipping threw the pages, while Star droned on and on about Robin. I knew she liked him, anyone with halve a brain could see that, unfortunately both halves of mine are fully operational and have to listen to Star obsess about him. But I'm a good friend and at least pretend like I'm listening, as I hope she will some day do for me. All of a sudden my door flew open, interrupting Stars and my "conversation".  
  
"What the hell are you two doing up at this hour!" Cyborg asked a little angrily. "You two are keeping the rest of us up! Its like," he checked my digital clock, "Two in the morning!" I sighed,  
  
"Sorry Cyborg, we'll go to bed." I turned to Starfire. "I guess it is waaaay past our bedtime. Night Star."  
  
"Pleasant night my friend, I am off to rejuvenate." She yawned and hopped of my bed, and then her and Cyborg exited my room. I rubbed my eyes tiredly. I can still get in a couple more hours studding. I hunched over my book, but the words just blurred together. So tired. I'll just rest my eyes for a minute. But only for a minute! Just to give me the strength to study for my final.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Oh my god!! What time is it?!? I rolled off my bed and hit the floor with a thump. Morning light streamed in through my window. I glanced outside, morning sunlight was dancing on the ripples on the water surrounding out privet island. I jumped up and ran a brush through the bottom of my pigtail. Then I bolted out the door.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Well, I suppose it could have been worse, I thought as I handed my final paper to the grumpy test lady, who had stopped by the tower to authorize out exam. The others had long since finished and had gone to the kitchen to eat lunch.  
  
I walked into the kitchen and had to smile; Beastboy was wearing a little apron and was humming as he prepared peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. 150 years in the future and people still eat those things, some things are timeless I suppose.  
  
"Here Raven!" he said brightly, shoving a sandwich in her face.  
  
"No," she replied as if that would be the end of it.  
  
"Yes! He said earnestly, then he turned and saw me, and his little green face lit up.  
  
"Naomi will eat one! Right?" he looked pleadingly at me as he shoved a plate with no less that twenty sandwiches on it. I smiled,  
  
"Sure, on one condition, spare us and take off that apron." He smiled and untied it, and then he rushed over to me and pretended to strangle me with it. I laughed and pushed him away, and reached for a sandwich. I nibbled the inside, but not the crust, I hate the crust. BB who was obviously pleased, was beaming. Hardly anyone liked his cooking in the tower. He was a strict vegetarian, but I humor him and often eat the tofu based products. I turned my attention to Raven, who was my best friend along with Starfire, but they didn't like each other, which also puts me in the middle.  
  
"Hey Rae!" I said.  
  
"Hmm," she replied as she sipped her hot herbal tea. I finished my sandwich and threw the crusts in the trash can. I headed to the panty.  
  
"Hey!" I said suddenly, "Who moved my fruit snacks?"  
  
"When did they become YOUR fruit snacks?" Robin asked smiling.  
  
"Since I decided they were!" I smiled.  
  
"Yeah Robin! How could you be so insensitive?" Beastboy asked with his hands on his hips, in mock anger, making fun of me.  
  
"Shishcabob." I said knowing what his reaction would be. He yelped and ducked behind the counter. Everyone but me gave him a weird look. "Inside joke, long story," I replied and winked at Beastboy. The others shrugged it off and continued with there morning chores.  
  
"So, Naomi," Raven said looking up from her cup, "We're going to The Gothic today, right?"  
  
"Sure," I wasn't so enthused about the dark poetry reading café, but hey, I did love their crumpets. Starfires head snapped around.  
  
"But! Naomi! We have already made arrangements to go the zoo!" She said, almost accusingly.  
  
"Oh! Right! Sorry Rae," I looked over to Raven, not knowing how she was going to react.  
  
"Sorry for what? Starfires just going to reschedule her little outing."  
  
"No!" Starfire said defiantly, "Naomi and I have been eagerly awaiting this event for three of your Earth days! I have even purchased a photographic image recording mechanism!" What? I think she means a camera, but when Star gets upset, it gets harder to understand her.  
  
"You will just have to reschedule," Raven repeated said calmly, but this time with a bit of an edge to her hollow voice. Starfires stood their with an expression on her face I couldn't quite read, like she was debating to get really sad or really mad. Suddenly she whirled around and faced me.  
  
"Friend Naomi? You will accompany me to witness the animals of Earth, will you not?" Oh, they just HAD to drag me into their little fight.  
  
"Well," I looked at both of them, I felt torn between my two friends. "Well, Rae, I HAVE been promising Starfire that we would go to the zoo, so if we leave right now, I we can make it back in time for us to go to The Gothic." Raven shrugged one shoulder and returned to her reading I sighed in relief, knowing that we had narrowly dodged a bullet.  
  
"You ready to go Star?" I asked.  
  
"Oh yes!" she replied enthusiastically, as she grabbed my hand. "Off we depart to the zoological domain of Earth animal spices!" she announced to no one.  
  
"Go your camera?" I asked, not being able to hold back a smile. She held it up and clicked it a couple of time just to prove it worked.  
  
"Star, don't, you'll waste all the film," I said laughing.  
  
"Oh, there is a fixed amount?" She asked as we headed out.  
  
"Yeah, but we probably want to save it for the animals." Right before we exited the tower, I turned around, "Bye Raven!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"It was interesting," I said to Raven as we sat down in our usual seat in The Gothic, "Especially when Starfire flew over the fence to pet the lion." Raven shook her head disapprovingly; I think she was kinda disappointed the lion didn't rip her apart.  
  
I tilted my head thoughtful and looked at Raven, I'll never truly know why she hates Star so much, but I think it has something to do with Starfire being able to be so free with her emotions. To be able to feel all the emotions that make us who we are, something Raven won't ever be able to do. A figure moving toward our take snapped me out of my thoughts.  
  
"Oh, oh Raven!" I dropped my voice, "Here comes Seth!" The gothic waiter slunk over to our table. I have this crazy idea that Seth and Raven should go out, she says I'm being stupid, but I think it will do her good to have a social life. But Raven clearly stated she didn't want a social life. Oh well, like I'd listen anyway.  
  
"What would you like to order?" he asked Raven. He doesn't speak to me for some reason, I'll never understand why. Oh well.  
  
"I'll leave you two alone." I said mischievously as I stood up and walked to the other side of the café. I took a seat next to two very surprised looking Goths.  
  
"Hi," I said friendly as if it was completely ordinary to sit next to two complete strangers. I looked back over to Raven and saw that Seth had taken my seat and was talking to Raven. I smiled, imagining Raven and Seth on a date. They probably go recite dark poetry in a cemetery. I giggled at the though of this, but my giggling quickly ceased when I saw a very grumpily looking manager storm over to Ravens table to yell at his employee for taking an unauthorized break.  
  
NO!! He can't do that!! He'll ruin it! I jumped out of my seat and blocked his way.  
  
"Hello there!" I said to the manager. He had dark wrinkled skin and a very grumpy face. Well, I'd be grumpy to if I had to work with Seth too, he guy has no sense of humor. And neither did his boss, I quickly learned.  
  
"Hi," he relied quickly and tried to walk around me, but I stepped over to block his way. "Can I help you?!?" he asked getting annoyed.  
  
"Yes, I am... a... very upset customer!" I exclaimed, I needed to buy all the time I could for Raven.  
  
"About what?" he asked frowning. I looked desperately around the café, trying to find something to be upset about.  
  
"The...bathrooms!" I exclaimed and I grabbed the mans hand and dragged him to the far side of the room. I stopped at the two doors, and pointed expectedly.  
  
"What about the bathrooms," he asked suspiciously.  
  
"THAT!" I exclaimed, still pointing at nothing.  
  
"I really don't see a problem," he said slowly.  
  
"Do you even know what one looks like?" I asked, and continued pointing.  
  
"WHAT?!" he said starting to lose patients with me.  
  
"Cant you see it?" I asked as if it was obvious.  
  
"No," the manager said narrowing his beady eyes.  
  
"Well, if you don't know, I'm not going to tell you," I said crossing my arms.  
  
"I don't have time for this," he said as he turned to leave in the direction of our table. NO!! I was NOT going to let him ruin Ravens last hope of a boyfriend. I shut my eyes. Raven, you owe me big time, I thought as I stuck out my leg and tripped the manager.  
  
"Sorry! Sorry, I didn't see you there!" I exclaimed as the manager scrambled to his feet swearing something awful. I glanced over to our table, Raven was sitting alone now, and completely unaware of everything I just did. Did Seth ask her out?!?! I smiled sheepishly to the manager, whose face was growing red with anger.  
  
"I think... I'll be leaving now," I said as I backed away from him, as if he was a ticking time bomb. He didn't reply, just glared at me as if he dearly wanted to rip my head off.  
  
"Umm, right!" I said nervously as I scampered over to where Raven was sitting alone at our table.  
  
"Uhhh, Raven? Time to go!" I said in a false cheerful voice.  
  
"Why?" she asked, then she saw the expression on the manager's face as he glared out us. "What did you do, Naomi?" she asked narrowing her eyes suspiciously.  
  
"Raven! Now!" I hissed as I pulled her to her feet and dragged her out the door. As we stepped out into the sunshine I immediately turned to Raven. "So!" I said breathlessly, "What did Seth say?"  
  
"Seth?" she repeated as if she had no idea who he was.  
  
"Raven! I'm getting frustrated with you young lady! Now stop pretending like you have no idea, and tell me!!" She let the very smallest of smiles emerge on her face, she thought it was funny when I got mad. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot impatiently. She sighed, as if this was the worst thing that had ever happened to her.  
  
"Well, he asked my out, and I was going to say no, but I knew if I did, you'd drag me right back in there and make me, so..."  
  
"So..." I repeated hopefully. She sighed upsetly.  
  
"We have a get together this Sunday." Yay!! I clapped my hands, finally!! Raven gets to be happy! Well, sort of.  
  
"Oh, and Naomi?" Raven said as we walked off in the direction of the tower, "You owe me."  
  
StArRy- Well, it's the first chapter of the sequel! I have so much I need to type up! But at lest I have most of spring break left. I'm probably going to get a new chapter up every day, so be sure to check often! Well, give me some feed back! Good? Bad? 


	2. powerpuff girls and takeout

Back at the tower again. I don't know where Raven went. She said she had something important to do after we returned from The Gothic, and she just kinda disappeared. Anyway in the kitchen, Beastboy was complaining endlessly of how hungry he was.  
  
"Awwww, poor baby!" I said, as if I was talking to a two year old. He grinned at me.  
  
"Baby needs bath."  
  
"Ha! In your DREAMS, you little dork!" I said as I swung at him. He ducked behind the counter right before my hand hit his face.  
  
"Excuse me, but I'm in need of a nutritional intake as well," Starfire said from the other room.  
  
"How about we order pizza?" Robin asked leaning against the kitchen wall.  
  
"Nooooo!" I wailed, "We ALWAYS get pizza!!"  
  
"So what are we going to get?" asked Cyborg, as he and Star entered the room. They all looked at me expectantly. Why dose everyone always want me to come up with the answer to everything?! I tilted back my head in concentration. What to get, what to get.  
  
"How about Chinese food?" I suggested. There were no objections, "Cool, then Chinese food it is. I'll get it," I was in serious need of some alone time. I love my friends and all, but I do need some Naomi time sometimes.  
  
"I'll have some seasoned seed chicken with fried rice," Cyborg ordered as if I was a waiter, "And... some wanton soup."  
  
"I'll take some beef and broccoli with white rice," Robin said thoughtfully.  
  
"I'll be happy to partake in the consumption of whatever Robin is," Starfire said blushing slightly. I looked over to BB to take his order, but he had this horrified expression on his face. I think he was upset at all the meat consumption that was about to take place.  
  
"No worries BB, we'll split a veggie platter." I said elbowing him. He smiled appreciatively at me. I saluted my friends farewell and departed on my mission. I ran the orders through my head, trying to memorize them, as I floated into the crisp night sky.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
I opened the door to the tower as quietly as I could. Ok, ok, I told myself, just TRY not to look guilty and give yourself away.  
  
"Hi Naomi!" Beastboy said brightly from behind me. I jumped a foot in the air in surprise. "So, you got the food?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, sure..." I walked into the kitchen where everyone was sitting, except for Raven, who was obviously not back yet. They all looked at me expectantly.  
  
"Here you go!!" I said a little too cheerfully. I dropped the sack of steaming take-out on the table and tried to leave, carrying my box.  
  
"Naomi? I thought we were going to split the veggies," BB said sounding slightly hurt.  
  
"Oh, yeah... SURE! Just let me... do something... first." I turned to put my box in my room.  
  
"Naomi?" Robin said with a knowing smile, "Come over here with that box."  
  
"Box, what box?" I said weakly, knowing this would not end well.  
  
"The one you're holding." He replied smiling. I hesitantly handed him my box and prepared for the worst. "You think I don't know when your up to something?" he asked ask, "Now what are you hiding in here?" He turned my box upside down and out fell a live lobster. Everyone just stared at it as it scrambled to its feet and scuttled across the table. I felt the need to explain myself,  
  
"No! You guys! That restaurant was going to kill him! And were superheroes! So... I saved him." I said ended lamely.  
  
"No." Robin said staring at him.  
  
"Look! I named him Crusty!" I said quickly.  
  
"No! No, no, no, no! Don't name him!! You can't get attached to him! There is no way we're keeping a... sea bug!"  
  
"He's NOT a sea bug!!" I exclaimed, rushing to Crustys defense, "He's a crustation!" Robin started massaging his temples, and BB burst out laughing. I picked up Crusty and let his feelers brush on Robins cheek,  
  
"Look Robin! He likes you! He's giving you lobster kisses!" Robin didn't reply.  
  
"Come on Robin," I said pleading softy, "You know how much I've been wanting a pet. I was so sad when I had to leave my hamster behind, remember?"  
  
"Well," Beastboy said thoughtfully, "We do have that old fish tank in the basement; we could move it up next to the T.V." I smiled at him.  
  
"Fine," Robin said caving in, "But Naomi, wouldn't you rather a kitten or a puppy?" I stared at him as if he was a lunatic, "Now Robin, where's the fun in that?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Wow," Beastboy said, "He's actually kinda cute when you get over the fact he has claws and tons of little bug legs." I tapped on the glass,  
  
"Helloooo Crusty!" I made a kissy face at him through the glass, "Oh my god!! BB, did you see that?!? He just winked at me!"  
  
"Right," Beastboy said rolling his forest green eyes. I had to admit, the fish tank with a lobster in it really tied the room together.  
  
"I can't believe some one would eat him," I murmured as Crusty scuttled around his new home.  
  
"Yeah, it's hard to believe for me too," he said smiling, "That's why I don't eat anything with a face, I know what its like to be an animal."  
  
"You know what?" I said suddenly, "I think I just lost my appetite for meat forever." Beastboys face lit up.  
  
"Are you serious?!?! This is awesome! We can be vegetations together! Then everyone can hate OUR cooking!" I looked up at him and smiled.  
  
"We are two peas in a pod! HEY! Peas! Those are plants! That's a good start!" Beastboy and I exited the room talking of tofu recipes, the light switch made a soft click, as the last light in the tower turned off for the night.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
I ducked, narrowly dodging a beam of white hot light Helio sent at me. I ran at Helio and sent a flying kick that hit him straight in the stomach. He hissed in anger as he gripped his stomach. I analyzed him, trying to find a weakness of his. His power came from the sun that much was clear; he absorbed the suns rays and converted them into energy. His skin glowed with the suns power.  
  
A sonic blast provide by Cyborg caused him to stumble and fall on me. I used my legs to kick him high into the air; Starfire sent a green blast in mid air, causing him to crash into a building. He scrambled to his feet and swore at us. Robin responded by throwing a little bomb thing at him, the force of the explosive caused me to fall backwards, but before I hit the ground, I felt two hands hold me up.  
  
"Thanks BB."  
  
"No problem-o!" I tried to bind Helio with vines, but the minute the plants touched his skin, they burned and shriveled. He turned around to face me, and a sent a flame thrower of the suns energy in my direction. I ducked behind a dumpster and covered my head, and squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them, the dumpster was now just a puddle of melted metal. I took to the air to avoid being burned by the liquid metal.  
  
I saw Raven waving desperately to me from below. Then the fire hydrant on the corner glowed black and exploded. I understood and directed the water to Helio. The water sent him into the side of a nearby building with a sickening crunch, and there the force of the water pinned him to the building. I stopped the flow of water and glided down to the others who were inspecting the now unconscious Helio. His skin was now normal and unglowing. We had put out his fire.  
  
We called the police and waited for them to take him away. Finally our job was done, and we took a walked down downtown to relax. All of a sudden, Starfire stopped.  
  
"It is approaching All Hallows Eve, my friends. Are we not going to put on the artificial skins of another and request a treat, or purpose a trick?" What was that cazy girl talking about?  
  
"She means Halloween and trick or treating," Robin whispered to me. Ohhh, why didn't she just say that then?  
  
"Yes! I wish to partake in this Earth tradition of the celebration of the dead," Star informed me.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"What should I get?" I asked Raven as I pawed through the rack of costumes. We were at Pine Hollows, a popular costume store, and around Halloween, it is certainly a spectacular sight. Costumes, masks, everything!  
  
"I refuse to take part in this ridiculous tradition. It is absolutely pointless," Raven said dully. I smiled knowingly. Raven is kind of complicated, but when you get to know her, she is just like most teenage Goths. Convinced that she doesn't care about anything or anyone, but deep down, maybe even farther that even she can see, she wants to be loved and accepted like everyone else. Sometimes, you just have to humor her.  
  
"Okay," I said, knowing that somehow I'd bribe her into wearing a costume. For some reason, I really wanted Star, Rae and me to wear the same themed costumes. I wanted, just for once, us three to do something together. I always feel bad when I leave Star behind to go to The Gothic with Raven, or vise versa when I shop with Starfire at The Feather. I just really wanted us to be a group. Just for one night.  
  
Then my eyes rested on a rack of cute dresses. They came in all the colors of the rainbow, but then I thought of something. I plucked a pink, green and a blue dress of the rack.  
  
"Powepuff girls!" I exclaimed excitedly.  
  
"What?" asked Raven, narrowing her eyes.  
  
"It's too perfect!" I exclaimed, ignoring her. I could sew a little black strip across the middle of the short dress.  
  
"What the hell are Powerpuff Girls?" Raven repeated.  
  
"It's a little kids cartoon show from my time," I said as I began to search the store for three pairs of shiny black buckle shoes.  
  
"Oh, really? How fascinating." She said sarcastically. My mind began to race. I could be Bubbles and wear the blue dress, Star has red hair, so shes Blossom and Raven has dark hair, and she can be Buttercup. They will have no idea what Powerpuff girls are, but it's still a cute idea. Raven must have noticed that I had three dresses out.  
  
"No." She said stubbornly.  
  
"Yes!" I argued as I picked out three pairs of white tights. This was going to be great.  
  
StArRy- Ohhhh! Will Naomi be able to convince Raven to be a Powerpuff Girl? Probably not, but it's worth a shot. This is a REALLY weird chapter, but its setting up the plot for the whole story, which happens in the next chapter. The next few chappies are kinda dramatic, but I really think you all will like it. 


	3. the dance

"Please Rae?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Please!" I put on my best begging face. She looked at me and sighed.  
  
"Your not going to let this go, are you."  
  
"Not until I get my way!" I said cheerfully.  
  
"So, if I am to understand you correctly," Starfire said, inspecting the dresses, "The Powerpuff Girls are mutant children who save their city?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I fail to see how kindergartners could survive under those circumstances," Star said doubtfully.  
  
"Its just a show," I explained, "Its not real."  
  
"Oh!"  
  
"So," I said professionally, "I'm Bubbles. Star? Your Blossom. And Ravens Buttercup. It works." I tried to hand Raven her dress. She arched one eyebrow.  
  
"You can't be serious." I just smiled... a kind of scary smile.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"How did you talk me into this?" Raven asked, keeping to the shadows, so no one could see her in the dress, as we walked up to the building.  
  
"Naomi promised to do the chores you most despise for a months time," Starfire said helpfully. I just couldn't stop smiling, my most favorite people in the world were with me, and we were going to a dance party. The guys were there too; Cyborg was dressed up as Gizmo, which was really quite funny. Cyborg HATES Gizmo, and his impersonation of the little shrimp was amusing, especially when he imitates Gizzys high squeaky voice. Robin was dressed as... Robin. Which I had earlier pointed out, was scary enough. And Beastboy was just plain adorable, he was dressed as a little caveman. He looked so much more intelligent than usual.  
  
"Someone from The Gothic will see me here," Raven complained.  
  
"No they wont," I said confidently, "Especially if you smiled or laughed or something. She turned and faced me.  
  
"Ha," she said lamely.  
  
"Woh! Star, who IS that complete stranger walking with us?!?" I asked. Raven rolled her eyes as we walked up to the doors of the building where the dance was being held.  
  
"Lets get this over with," She sighed.  
  
"Yay!" said Star happily. I felt the same thrill I always get when I enter a huge room, packed with teens, and ear splitting music. I felt like dancing. I used to go to dances all the time back home, so I felt comfortable, but the others don't gone to dances very often so they looked kind of out of place. I let my body melt into the rhythm of the music; every movement I made was to the music. I laughed giddily and grabbed Starfires hand,  
  
"Come on Star! I'll show you!" I yelled over they music. After a few minutes of practicing, Star was a pro.  
  
I smiled as we danced to the fast music nonstop for almost an hour. I was having so much fun; you could imagine my disappointment when the band struck up a slow tune.  
  
"No!! Not a slow song!" I groaned as every couple in the dance put their arms around each other and swayed to the music.  
  
"Naomi? I am unsure of how to dance to this kind of music," Starfire said looking concerned.  
  
"Here," I said pushing her into Robins arms, "Robin will show you." Wow! I had no idea wonder boys face could turn such a majestic shade of red. I smiled as I watched Star and Robin have a dance away from the rest of the team. I looked around to see that Raven had disappeared, probably to blend in with the shadows so no one could see her. So... just BB, Cy, and Naomi I thought as I looked over to them. I snorted at Beastboys pathetic attempts to break dance.  
  
"Wow BB! I never knew you could spin on your ass like that!" I exclaimed.  
  
"Hellooooo! Its called break dancing!" Beastboy said, putting on an attitude. Then his face brightened, "Wait!! You haven't seen my moon walk yet!" This is really nice, I thought, hardly anyone recognizes me because in not in my usual uniform.  
  
"Watch Naomi!!" But before I could watch, I saw a white halve cape flowing behind a white skirt trail past me out of the corner of my eye. Hey! Some dressed like me for Halloween! I turned my head to see who it was, but the person had melted into the crowd. I've gotta see who this is. I went in the direction where I had last seen the cape. I struggled through the crowd of rowdy teenagers, until I come out on the other side of the room.  
  
"Hey guys!! Look at Ivan!" one male voice yelled.  
  
"Ohhh! You look so sexy!" yelled another. I looked to the person wearing my uniform and my jaw dropped. A hot guy! A hot guy was wearing MY uniform! What a freak. The guy's friends were surrounding him laughing their asses off.  
  
"Hey Ivan? Can I take you out for a date sometime?" ask one, pretending to hit on him.  
  
"Ohhh, I don't know! Something tells me that you only like me for my sexy body." Ivan said pretending to be unsure.  
  
"Awww, come on baby!" His friend said putting his arm on Ivans sholder.  
  
"No!! I'm just... NOT LIKE THAT!!" Then they all cracked up. I smiled, this guy was obviously a fan of mine, and decided to dress up like me as a joke, just for kicks and giggles. I admired him; it takes a guy that's really comfortable with himself to do something like this. I had to say something to him. I pranced up to him and taped him on the shoulder.  
  
"I like your outfit," I said smiling sweetly. He stared at me for a minute, and then he recognized me. He stood there with his mouth agape, like a fish, as his friends started laughing. I had to admit he was cute, his messy brown hair and green eyes were nice. I just stood there smiling as he started babbling an apology.  
  
"I am SO sorry! I wasn't making fun of you I SWEAR!! Oh god... I am so SO sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry." I laughed, and took pity on him,  
  
"Wanna dance?"  
  
"Sure," he said looking dazed. I led him out on the dance floor, and the band struck up another slow tune. And I'm not going to lie to you, its REALLY weird to dance with a guy in a dress. MY dress!  
  
"So," he said to break the silence as we swayed to the music, "What are you dressed up as exactly?"  
  
"I'm Bubbles, cant you tell."  
  
"No," he admitted truthfully. I smiled and slipped deeper into his arms. I started to forget that he was wearing a dress and just looked up into his bright green eyes. I started to notice how close our bodies were. He slipped his hands a little lower, so they were almost on my butt.  
  
"Hey! Naomi?" A voice whispered in my ear, "Do you know that the guy you're dancing with is wearing a dress?"  
  
"Yes, now go away Beastboy." He looked slightly hurt and stalked off to Cyborg and started whispering something to him. Ivan's friends were watching us dance and started yelling advice to Ivan about dancing.  
  
"I haven't danced with many girls before," he explained sheepishly.  
  
"Wow? Really? I don't see why not, you look absolutely stunning in that skirt." I said smiling. When the song ended I wanted to dance with him again, but I didn't want to look to easy, so I smiled and walked over to the others. I found Starfire and Robin holding hands, talking to Cy and Beastboy. Raven was still missing. I started chatting with them, not bringing up Ivan.  
  
"Hey!" I turned around to see one of Ivan's friend, "Ivan wants to know if you'll dance with him again."  
  
"Sure where is he?"  
  
"Changing," he replied, "He told me to tell you that the next time you see him, he'll be wearing pants." I smiled, this guy was too weird. A few minutes later, I saw Ivan walking across the dance floor over to me, he bumping into almost everyone. What a dork. Thankfully, he was wearing jeans and a gray shirt this time. He offered me his hand and we walked out into the crowd of people, as the band struck up a fast tune.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I have never had so much fun in my entire life! Ivan and I danced to almost every song together. Star had decided that Ivan's and my fate were in her hands, so she had gone strait up to the band and DEMANDED that they play a lot of slow songs for us. But as I had danced with Ivan, I couldn't help but notice the sour looks BB threw in Ivan's direction. Finally at 1:00 in the morning, the others had decided that they had had enough. I wanted to stay, but Beastboy practically dragged me out of there and was extremely rude to Ivan. BB was probably just tired. I did give Ivan my phone number before I left though.  
  
So here we were in the T-car. For some reason I couldn't stop giggling like a loon. I clung to Stars arm and acted like a spaz.  
  
"Awww, how cute" Cyborg said from behind the wheel, "Ickle Naomi had a boyfriend."  
  
"Screw you Cyborg!" I said cheerfully.  
  
"That guy was a fag," Beastboy said fiercely. I was a little taken back. What is little greens problem?  
  
"Oh, the dress? That was just a joke." I said rushing to Ivan's defense. I sighed and leaned back farther into the seat. I couldn't stop thinking about Ivan.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Whose a good loppy? Who's a good boy? You are!" Crusty looked up at me with his beady little eyes.  
  
"Uh, Naomi?" Raven said looking up from her book, "Are you sure you should be taking him out of the tank like that?"  
  
"Oh course," I replied, "He needs his exercise."  
  
"Right..."  
  
"So," I said changing the subject, "YOU have a date with Seth tomorrow."  
  
"If I must."  
  
"And Raven?" I said cautiously, "How are you going to... deal with you powers?" She looked up at me surprised,  
  
"Oh, I was just going to melt his brain if he tried something, then I wouldn't have to worry about a second date." God I hope she is kidding.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Bye you two!" I said happily as I shove Raven out the door, "Bring her back before curfew!" Then I slammed the door so she couldn't change her mind and come back in. Then I ran all over the tower locking all the doors and window.  
  
"Uh, Nomi?" asked Cyborg, who was sitting on the sofa with Robin and Beastboy, "You know she could just telekinetically open the windows if she wanted to right?"  
  
"So, what's your point?"  
  
"Nomi?" asked Robin arching one eyebrow, "Is that her nickname?"  
  
"Yeah! I'm Cyborgs Nomi homie!" I exclaimed as I did a gangster hand shake with my homie.  
  
"Since when are you "gangster"? asked Robin smiling.  
  
"Since I became down with the shizzle my rizzle." I replied. I glanced over to BB, expecting him to be smiling, but he wasn't. He was staring at the floor, determined not to look at me. I crawled over Robin to talk to the elf. I punched his arm playfully,  
  
"Hey! What's wrong with my home dog?"  
  
"Whatever," He said rolling his eyes.  
  
"That homies lango is so wack!" I said, trying to get him to smile. He didn't say anything. He slipped off the sofa and walked out the door.  
  
"What did I do?" I asked bewilderedly. Robin and Cyborg exchanged glanced, but didn't reply.  
  
StArRy-ok, Next chapter is one of the most important chapters in my ENTIRE story. The dance chapter is stetting up the next chapter. So, review!! 


	4. explosions

I can't believe it's my turn to cook dinner again. I glanced around the kitchen for inspiration. I dug through the pantry, munching on fruit snacks, trying to find something to make. Hey, I should just serve Teen Titans Fruit Snacks, I thought absent-mindedly. I imagined a huge plate piled high with of colorful fruit snacks, while Cyborg used a fork and a knife to cut an individual fruit snack, and taking dainty little bits. I giggled at the thought of this. Maybe I'll try that next time it's my turn to cook.  
  
No, no, no, no, no! Do we not have ANYTHING? My fingers brushed a small box. I picked it up. Oh, yummy! A Mein Chow noodle mix! I walked out of the pantry and started warming up a frying pan on the stove. I put the noodles and the sauce into the frying pan. I listened to the cheerful crackle of the noodles cooking with the sauce. Ring! Ring! I walked over to the telephone.  
  
"Hello?" Beastboy and I said at the same time.  
  
"Hi, is Naomi there?" I recognized Ivan's voice.  
  
"BB hang up, its for me," I heard him grumbling on the other phone, but then the soft click announced that he had hung up.  
  
"Hi Ivan," I said smiling into the phone, "I was wondering when you would call." He laughed, and then I thought I heard the sound of someone coming back on the line. I shrugged it off and decided I had imagined it.  
  
"So," Ivan said awkwardly, "What are you doing?"  
  
"Cooking noodles."  
  
"Oh, yummy!" I smiled, he was so cute.  
  
"So, what are YOU doing?" I asked back.  
  
"Playing with sock puppets," he replied.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"No, I made that up."  
  
"But that would be so cool!" I sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and just talked to Ivan. I don't know how long we talked but the smell of burnt noodles filled the kitchen after some time.  
  
"Oh! Ivan! I'll call you back! My noodles are burning!" I slammed down the phone and took the pan off the burner. The noodles were really burned. Maybe the others won't notice.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Naomi? These noodles are burned," Robin said bluntly. Oh no! They noticed!  
  
"Um, no there not!" I said quickly, trying to convince him otherwise. Cyborg reached out and plucked a black noodle from my plate, and crushed it to fine ashes.  
  
"No! Its fine! Where's Star? She'll eat one!"  
  
"Stars not here," replied Robin, "Said something about local area connection and rushed off somewhere."  
  
"Beastboy will then!" I said looking over to him. He just sat there, not speaking. That was it.  
  
"What is your problem?!?" I exploded, "Why are you so mad at me?!"  
  
"What are you talking about?" He asked sourly. "Don't pretend like you don't know! You haven't looked, or talked to me in three days!" Then he exploded right back,  
  
"Why do you even want to talk to me? Why don't you just call Ivan? Or is he Ivy-poo by now? You two have SUCH interesting conversations about sock puppets!"  
  
"You listened in on my phone call?" I asked disbelievingly. Beastboy and I were so into our argument we completely forgot that Robin and Cyborg were still sitting at the table, eyes wide open in shock. Beastboy was now standing, and there was this fire in his eyes. I had never seen him like this before. And to tell you the truth, he was kind of scary right now.  
  
"He doesn't even like you," Beastboy said, suddenly softly, "He only noticed you because you're famous." I jumped to my feet,  
  
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" I yelled getting angrier.  
  
"What?!? You expect to be famous and just be able to prance into a dance an actually believe that some complete stranger likes you?!?! I've seen it a million times before, that asshole wouldn't even give you a second look if your face want in the news every day!! How gullible are you?!?!"  
  
I was shocked. I couldn't believe he just said those things to me. I just stood there, disbelievingly. But Beastboy must have decided he wasn't done being angry.  
  
"Don't you even have enough common sense to see?!? He already decided he like you before he even met you!! He is just a crazed fan boy chasing after some fucked up sex fantasy! HE DOSENT EVEN KNOW YOU! Its not like we're living this "charmed life" that everyone thinks we are! That boy will use you... and after he dose, than maybe you'll stop being so stupid." I felt like he had kicked me. I had to get out. In a daze, I turned and walked out of the kitchen.  
  
"Naomi! Wait!" Cyborg called, jumping out of his seat, trying to catch me. But it was to late. I wrenched open the main door and shot into the dark sky.  
  
"NAOMI!!" Cyborgs voice echoed below me. But I ignored him and flew higher into the cool night sky. I flew over the dark blue water that separated us from the rest of the city. I looked down on the city I had grown to love. Even being hundreds of feet above it, and it still was the most beautiful thing in the world. I could see the lights from the cars gliding across the roads. And the lights from the buildings lit up the ground; it was a sea of tiny lights.  
  
But even the beauty didn't make me feel better. I don't know why Beastboys words hurt me like that, maybe because I know he's right.  
  
I rolled over and lied on my back in the sky and looked up at the stars. The same stars I had grown up with, the ground below me had changed do much over 150 years, but the night's sky remained the same. And right then, I wished for more than anything that my mother was here. I wished I could crawl into her lap and tell her everything that had happened. I wished I could hear her voice telling me that everything would be all right. Then she would hug me, and tell me how smart and beautiful I am. Then she would give me the strength to face the cold world.  
  
I felt the tears stream down, over my cheeks and drop down on the world below me. Stupid Beastboy. Beastboy. Then I felt a mixture of sadness, fear and anger wash over me. I rolled back on to my stomach and without warning I speed off through the night air. I flew faster and faster, not knowing where I was going and not caring. I was flying at break neck speed now; the city just became a blur of lights below me. I had never flown this fast before, I couldn't breath. Then I stopped. The abrupt halt caused my body to cartwheel in the air.  
  
Then I let myself fall. I plummeted down to the city; I rolled on my back again and watched my tears gently being lifted off my cheeks as I fell before them. I felt the side of a skyscraper brush against my fingers. I hear screams from below, me as the people scattered to avoid being hit by the falling person. And then, when I was ten feet from hitting the ground I stopped. I flipped myself calmly upright and landed softly on my feet. I felt the people stares as I walked aimlessly through the streets.  
  
I glanced in a stores window and saw that my face was bleeding. When I had been flying at that tremendous speed, the air resistance had caused my skin to split into tiny cuts all over my face. I walked calmly through the streets of Gothem, having no idea where I was. How I wished for my mother.  
  
Unless... An idea struck me. But I'll have to wait until tomorrow. I need a place to crash; I didn't want to go back to the tower... not yet. I took to the air again. I searched for a suitable hotel. I finally rested at The Twinkle Inn. I glided softly up to the highest window that wasn't occupied and quietly opened the window. I could have just charged it to the Titan bill, but I didn't want to deal with the people at the desk. I didn't want to talk to anyone, or leave a trail that the others could use to fine me. I glided across the dark room and fell into the soft bed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The glaring sun beat down on my head as I looked up at the building I was now accustomed to. Gothems Police Station.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Thank you, Wilson," I said to Kenithan Wilson, head of the Police Station, and in charge of the Residential Database.  
  
"No problem!" Wilson replied cheerfully, "Who are you looking for anyway?"  
  
"I'm sorry, but that's classified." He looked slightly hurt but allowed me my privacy and shut the door behind him. I sat down in and office chair in front of a computer. I typed in some key information about my family.  
  
Mother and fathers first and last name.  
  
Country.  
  
Date of birth.  
  
I let the computer do the rest. I leaned back as 58 matching families popped up on the screen. I selected mine. Then my family tree filled the screen. I scrolled down to my mothers and fathers branch. I looked under them to see my sister's names.  
  
My big sister never had children, but my little sister had two. One died at age twenty- seven, no kids. But the other had gone on to have just one boy. He had gone on to give life to one girl. He died, but his daughter lives in south Gothem. I took out a pen and scribbled the address on the back of my hand.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ I walked through the littered streets of South Gothem. I looked to see nearly everything vandalized, and a siren was waling a couple of streets over. The sidewalks were torn up and the street had never been paved. This was defiantly the ghetto. I check the address, thinking that this might be some sort of mistake, but it wasn't. I looked up to the house of my only living descendant.  
  
The house had never been painted, you could see little tufts of pink insulation sticking out of the corners, and the individual nails that barley held the house together. The door hung crooked and the windows where cracked all the way across. The front "yard" was nothing but dirt and beer cans and cigarette butts.  
  
I crept up to the door. I leaned over and peeked inside through the dingy window. Inside, I saw a baby in a high chair crying its eyes out while a very frustrated lady was screaming on the phone. The baby knocked off a can of baby food of the high chair and it splattered on the floor. The lady turned and started screaming at the baby, which made it cry harder. This lady was obviously a little mentally ill.  
  
This wasn't my family. It couldn't be... it just couldn't. I started to walk away, feeling all crumbly inside. Then I stopped and realized something. She was related to me, whether I liked it or not. I don't know what made me realize it; maybe the way the silver flex's in her metallic blue eyes caught the light. I walked aimlessly down the streets, lost in my thoughts. That is until I heard loud voices that made me snap out of my daze. All of a sudden, I felt vulnerable. I was all alone in the most dangerous part of Gothem. I instinctively ducked behind a dumpster that was colorful with graffiti. A large group of scary looking teenagers came rowdily down the street. The kind of teens that only the roughest of ghettos could raise. They were defiantly dangerous, the kind of people you don't want to face all alone.  
  
Then I was disgusted with myself. I was a superhero! Why was I hiding from these boys? I walked out of my hiding place with my head help high. I walked boldly down the street. "Hey boys, LOOK!" I felt my insides go cold as the gang of teenagers surrounded me, but I refused to show it.  
  
"Look at what we got here!" one said (obviously the leader) in a thick French accent. "A petit belle walking down d 'treet allllll alone!" He sneered. "Don't your know its dangerous for a little girl to walk all alone?" He put his face an inch away from mine.  
  
"Don't you know," he said softly, "Bad tings happen to little girls who walk alone on the South Side." He grinned devilishly while all of his friend laughed, except for one.  
  
"Dude, don't even. She's one of those Teen Titans."  
  
"I know dat." He said replied. Then he suddenly reached out and stroked my cheek, "Such an angélique little girl," he murmured thoughtfully. More than anything, I wanted to set his handsome face on fire, but I couldn't. I would get in trouble. Just because I'm a superhero, doesn't mean I can go around attacking anyone I want. I could do time in jail for an assault charge. I grabbed his hand off my face.  
  
All his friends laughed, and he looked a little surprised. He must not be used to being stood up to, especially by a girl.  
  
One of his friends was so enthralled by his leaders bold behavior he reached out and tried to lift up my skirt. Bad move on his part. I felt the satisfying crunch of breaking bones as my foot connected with his jaw. He yelped and jumped backward, holding his jaw that was now hanging at a funny angle. All the gangsters started backing off, but except for the leader who had touched my face.  
  
I glared at him and tried to walk around him, but he calmly stepped over to block my path. I turned to walk in the opposite direction but his long strides brought him in front of me, once again blocking my path. He grinned as if it was a game. He was a cat, and I was a mouse, the cat was just playing with his prey. His jet-black hair was swept back from his face, giving him roguish good looks. He had a strong chin and high cheekbones. But the thing that was the most eye catching about him was his cool gray eyes, that always seemed to be cool and in control. His long brown trench coat went down to his feet, giving his a mysterious presents.  
  
But I didn't care how good he looked. I wanted to beat his ass! He held up one finger to my face, knowing that I could not attack until he touched me again. I stood there glaring as he moved his finger moved closer and closer to my face. Every muscle in my body tensed up, waiting to pounce into attack when he touched me. He gave me a crooked smile and let his finger brush my bottom lip.  
  
Then an explosion of fire sent the gang members scrambling. All but one. The leader, he was just standing there unconcernedly. He looked more amused than anything. "Dat was good, little girl, but not good enough," he said smiling. Then I felt something cold and hard collide with the side of my head. Then everything went dark.  
  
StArRy- Poor Naomi. I felt bad writing this chapter. But anyway. This is the start of the real plot people. Please review! Or else I'll lose interest in this story, because I'll think no ones reading it. So, review if you want to find out what happens! 


	5. ice

I let out a small groan of pain. My head hurt like a bitch. I started to open my eyes slowly, but the light in the room made my head hurt even worse. I quickly squeezed them shut.  
  
"Oi! Ice! She's awake!" The voice made my head pound. I recoiled and moaned in pain again. Wait, where am I?  
  
"Shut up sourd-muet! You b' hurting de little girl!" I started to recall what had happened before. The fight with Beastboy, the gang, the gang leader that I wanted to kill. I didn't dare open my eyes, to afraid of what I might see. I felt cool air on my eyelids. I finally opened my eyes weakly to see the gang leader blowing air out of his mouth onto my eyelids.  
  
"Why are you doing that?" I mumbled.  
  
"T' wake de beauté de sommeil." He replied smirking. I finally focused on the room I was in. The curtains hung loosely around grimy windows, and the floor was covered in dust. There was only one small table in the empty room, and three chairs. I looked out the window and saw I was still in South Gothem. The next part wasn't such good news. I was sitting handcuffed to a 4th chair. I instinctive tried to free my hands, but the handcuffs held me immobile. The rest of the gang jumped up and surrounded me. They all stared as if I was some kind of animal in a zoo.  
  
"Dude," one whispered to the leader, "What if she like, sets the room on fire?"  
  
"She won'" the leader replied confidently.  
  
"Wanna bet?" I hissed dangerously, my head was starting to clear and I just remembered! I am one angry girl. That made a couple of the gang members look nervous. But the gang leader looked quite unconcerned.  
  
"Go ahead," he replied shrugging, "But den we see how much you like burning' t deat, in your wooden chair." I looked down; it was indeed a wooden chair. Not something you want to be strapped to in a fire. I put on a thoughtful look as I ran through the possibilities. Fire wouldn't work, unlike the other elements, fire cannot be controlled. I can set things afire, but it can spread out of my control. I guess it's the same way with anger. You really can't control anger.  
  
Fires out. If I used water or earth, there still would be the complication of me tied to the chair, I could knock them out, but I'd still be trapped. So that also eliminates air. I felt a panicky sensation rise in my stomach, but I glared out at them, not showing my doubt.  
  
"Oh, Messieurs! Were are our manners?" The leader exclaimed suddenly, "I b' known as de Ice," he said as he got down on one knee in a mock bow, "I am de, how t' say? Alpha male of dis' little group." I rolled my eyes to show I wasn't impressed.  
  
"Oh," he said standing up, "And dey b' de rest of dem, but dey not important." He said waving his hand in the general direction of his gang mates. "And we b' de Pack,"  
  
"Of idiots?" I added helpfully. He smirked,  
  
"You b' in non position t' a smart ass little girl."  
  
"I assume the "Pack" was the name of you and your little playmates group." I said sneering.  
  
"Oui, like de pack of wolves."  
  
"Congratulations, that's the stupidest thing I ever heard." I wasn't sure of a plan of escape, so I tried to egg on the stupid conversation, to buy me some more time to think of a plan.  
  
"I told you little girl, you b' in non position to b' de smart ass." He repeated, looking a little annoyed.  
  
Why dose he keep calling me "little girl"? He can't be more than two years older than me. I glared at him in defiance. He must have found it amusing, because his lip curled into a smirk. Then he ushered his friends out of the room. When we were alone, he leaned over very close to me.  
  
"Do you want t' know why dey call me Ice?" he asked softly, thinking he was being suave or something.  
  
"Not especially," I whispered back sarcastically.  
  
He reached out his hand and made a fist, and when he reopened it, a small ball of ice fell from his hands and hit the ground and shattered. Then I realized how I had gotten knocked out. He had created ice to collide with my head. I had to get back at him. I arched one eyebrow at him,  
  
"Is that it? PLEASE don't tell me that's it. Oh god, this is so embarrassing." I pretended to look out the windows in fear that someone would see me here with someone with such pathetic powers. "I've been up against 100 story spiders, and you expect me to be impressed by your little ice sculptures?" I could tell I touched a nerve.  
  
"Trust me, Ice can do more dan just "ice scuptures." He said hotly.  
  
"What? Ice what? Sorry, I couldn't make out that last word." I said, making fun of his accent. "You know, a lot of de young filles kill t b wid de Ice," he murmured more to himself than to me, "Dey tink my accent is sexy."  
  
"What? Cheap powers AND cheap hoes?" His face flushed in anger at my insult of his powers  
  
"Watch, little girl."  
  
"Amaze me." He squatted down in fount of me. He reached out his arm to touch the wall behind me. I at first nothing, then I saw that a thin layer ice was protruding from behind my head, coating the walls, ceilings, and floors in a slippery smooth ice glass. The temperature in the room plummeted. He brushed my cheek slightly as he took his had back. I looked at him and grinned,  
  
"You must be a riot at parties."  
  
"Merde" he swore in frustration.  
  
"Josh!" he yelled quite suddenly. The door opened and one of the gang members waked in. I snorted as he immediately slipped and fell on the ice. Ice rolled his eyes as his gang mate struggled to his feet. Then he turned to me,  
  
"Ice is not going t' deal wit you righ' now, Ice has bigger deals t' deal wit, maybe Ice will baby-sit later. Josh!" Ice commanded his crony, "Watch her, if she b' escaping, you b' one sorry garcon, Ice has a deal t' b' making wit' Slade."  
  
And for some reason I started giggling, I think it was because I started to realize how much trouble I was in. I've never met Slade, but the others told me all about him. Ice is probable going to trade with Slade, me for something, probable money.  
  
"Ok, Ice," Josh, said to his leader. Ice smirked at me one last time before exiting the room. I craned my neck trying to hear the phone conversation in the other room. But I could only hear Ice's voice in clips and phrases.  
  
"What?---I refuse---Thurty million.--- oui---none---What will happen to de girl?--- ok, merci monsieur. Au revoir." I head him hand up the phone. I watched Ice walk into the room.  
  
"Did you know?" he asked Josh excitedly, "Dat monsieur Slade b' paying us thurty million American dollars for dis little fille?" His friend mouthed the world WOW! "Ice made sure dat de fille wouldn't be harmed togh," he said winking at me.  
  
"You are such a gentlemen," I said dryly. He laughed, but not a mean laugh. He tilted his head, thoughtfully, looking at me.  
  
"You know what? I tink I might actually miss little girl." He extended his finger to brush my jaw line. He then turned away and started making money arrangements with this gang member. I HAVE to get out! I started thrashing in my chair. But it was not use. I started to shiver. It's so cold in here! I thought, my handcuffs are making my hands numb. Wait that's it! I shot a look in the French mans direction. If I could just some how get him to freeze the metal in the cuff, it will shatter! I laughed loudly. Ice turned to me frowning,  
  
"What b' so funny?"  
  
"Oh, please!" I said rolling my eyes, "Do you HONESTLY think that Slades going to pay you?" Ice was at my side in an instant,  
  
"What do you mean petite fille?" he hissed in my ear. I looked at him smirking.  
  
"Slade will take me and not pay you." I said simply.  
  
"Non he wont, he b' paying Ice d' money!" he said glaring at me for even suggesting such a thing. I rolled my eyes,  
  
"You really are stupid, aren't you? Like you could even stop Slade, your powers are worth jack-shit." I watched him grow steadily angrier. He balled his hands into fists, and I heard the crinkling sound of ice forming in them. I pushed it harder,  
  
"What are you going to do? Make a mean ice sculpture of him?" That crossed the line.  
  
"Watch," he hissed. He slammed his hand against the wall, and this time ice flooded from his hand. Not a thin layer, but a layer that was three feet thick. Stalactites formed on the ceiling, and it was more of a cave than a room.  
  
And... YES! The ice had barley touched and frozen one link in the handcuffs chain. But one broken link was all I needed. I jerked my fists apart. Ice turned around his head to boast, but all he got was a kick in the face that sent him flying across the room. His elbow hit the window and shattered it. I shot out of the open window and welcomed the warm breeze on my cold skin. I twirled in the air, happy to be free.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I slowly opened the door to the tower just as dusk set in. I didn't want to face the others; I don't know how they feel towards me. I crept around the giant T.V. And just as I was going to slunk up to my room-  
  
"Naomi." I heard Robins voice from behind me. I slowly turned to face him. "Where have you been?" he asked softly. I saw the others standing behind him, all wearing the same grim expression. Starfire pushed past Robin and looked me strait in the eye.  
  
"I came home friend, and you were not here." Never before in my entire life had I felt so bad.  
  
"Star I'm REALLY sorry! ... Star?" She just continued to gaze at me; her eyes didn't glow as bright as they usually do.  
  
"Star, I'm... really sorry." I whispered  
  
"We spent all of the night hours searching for you," Star said, like she couldn't believe I had just left like that. I looked around to everyone else. Raven had her arms crossed, looking at me with an expression I couldn't quite place. Cyborg was leaning against the wall tiredly. Beastboy looked worst of all. His usually spiked hair was lying flat and sloppily against his head. His face usually forest green face was unusually pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. They all did. They really had been out all night looking for me.  
  
"You guys," I looked around at them "listen, I just needed to figure some stuff out, I just..." I scrunched up my face, the throbbing pain had returned. I rubbed the area on my head where Ice had hit my head with ice.  
  
"Your hurt," Beastboy said immediately at my side.  
  
"No, no I'm fine," I replied.  
  
"What happened to you?" asked Cyborg, "Why were you gone for so long?" "I'm not really sure..." I replied. I knew that I had been gone for at least a night, because I had stayed at a hotel, but when I don't know how long I had been knocked out for. Stupid Ice.  
  
"Oh, you guys! I have to tell you something!" I quickly told them about Ice, leaving out the part about discovering my descendants, and about how much Ice had hit on me. That was personal. They all listened intently.  
  
"But what were you doing on the south side?" asked Cyborg suspiciously.  
  
"I don't know," I lied, "I just kinda flew and landed and started walking around, I had know idea where I was," I lied. The others seemed to buy it, except for Raven, who eyes me suspiciously. I bid the others goodnight, my head was seriously throbbing. I just wanted to curl up in bed and forget about today. As I exited the room, I could still hear the others talking about me.  
  
I sighed. Never again would I hurt them like that. Never.  
  
StArRy- ok really emotional few chapters, but now that there out of the way, we can get to the fun stuff! I just felt I needed to lay down that emotional foundation before I could continue writing. And we haven't seen the last of Ice.  
  
Oh! I just wanted to say, Faded days, I read your review, and I couldn't not stop laughing, I have no idea why, but I though it was really funny. 


	6. Cereal and formal dresses

At first, I thought the others would never forgive me. But after a couple weeks of promising Starfire I wouldn't run away again, things seemed to be back to normal. Even Beastboy and I made up. Although I called Ivan and told him it was over, Beastboy was right I guess. It wasn't love, although I wished it had been.  
  
I smiled as I listened to the cheerful clunking sound of cereal being poured into a big bowl. I watched the brightly colored Titan-o fall into the already overfilling bowl. BB walked into the kitchen yawning and rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes. I smiled as his eyes widened at the table. I had eight bowls of cereal on the table.  
  
"Good LORD!! You aren't going to eat all that! Are you?"  
  
"NO!" I replied sticking my tongue out at him, "I'm watching my figure." He smirked. I returned to my cereal. At last, the last bit of cereal fell into the overflowing bowl, and the prize fell out with it. I snatched it up, and tore off the plastic wrap.  
  
"Awww, look BB! It's BB!" I showed him the green toy of himself. He looked at it and started laughing,  
  
"What are you talking about? I am soooo much hotter than that!"  
  
"Right, mmhum, just keep tellin' yourself that." He lightly punched my arm.  
  
"Ohh! Beastboy look!" I pulled out my collection of Titan-os prizes. "I've got three Cyborgs, one Starfire, seven BBs, two Robins, and five Ravens, but no Naomis!" I wailed. I reached over and grabbed another box of the cereal, and ripped the top off. Beastboy laughed as I started pouring the cereal into another bowl.  
  
"You know," Beastboy said grinning, "You can just send $4.50 plus shipping and handling and 6 proofs of purchase in a stamped envelope addressed to PO box, Gothem 395, and they send you the six pose able Teen Titan Action Figures in 6-8 weeks."  
  
"How do you know that?" I asked amazed. He shrugged,  
  
"It says right here on the side of the box." I looked around the table,  
  
"So than why so I have all this cereal out?"  
  
"I don't know, why do you have all this cereal out?"  
  
"I already told you! I'm collecting!"  
  
"Yes, but you can just send away for them."  
  
"Yes, so if I can do that, why do I have all this cereal out?"  
  
"I don't know, why do you?"  
  
"I TOLD YOU!! I'M COLLECTING!" I exclaimed pretending to be upset. His green eyes met my blue ones and we started busting up laughing. But it wasn't really that funny, we were just relived to be friends again.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Humming cheerfully I thumbed through our mail. I laid upside down on our red sofa and looked for an interesting letter. And by interesting, I mean a letter for me.  
  
Then a scarlet envelope slipped through my fingers and fluttered to the floor. I up righted myself and picked it up. The address was stamped on the front in gold letters, and it was addressed to THE TEEN TITANS. I opened the letter and let my eyes scan the formal writing.  
  
"What is that?" Star asked from behind me.  
  
"I don't know, but it must be important, because were not just invited, we are corgely invited. Invited to... to the Tri-annual Gothems Society of Aristocratic Ball and Banquet."  
  
"Oh NO!" Star gasped.  
  
"What?" I asked bewildered by her horror.  
  
"TITANS! EMERGANCEY!"  
  
"What?!?" Everyone exploded into the living room to see the emergency.  
  
"Starfire! What is it?!?" Robin asked out of breath.  
  
"Look," she said in a small voice as she snatched the letter from my hand. Everyone took turns reading, and they all that the same reaction.  
  
"Oh nooo." BB moaned covering his face.  
  
"It seems like we JUST when to one!" Cy said disbelievingly.  
  
"I refuse to go, it's pointless," Raven announced.  
  
"We have to go," Robin said grimly, "Its good for our image. It's expected."  
  
"WHAT?!?!" I cried getting frustrated.  
  
"It's a ball the mayor host three times a year," Robin replied glancing up at me, "Its where all the rich and powerful people of Gothem go to discuss the solutions to the towns safety problems."  
  
"I thought that's what we were for," I said confusedly.  
  
"Yeah that's the point; the mayor likes to show us off as his little "pets", first he goes into excruciating detail about how unsafe the world is, then tada! The Teen Titans save the day!"  
  
"Oh."  
  
Robin looked at me, "You need a formal dress," he said simply. Well duh wonder boy, it is a ball. I elbowed Star,  
  
"Starfire and I can to to The Feather this afternoon, for mission formal dress."  
  
"Affirmative!" Star agreed, happy that we were going out. I glanced up at a clock,  
  
"Or... we might as well go now," I decided. "We can get coffee and a bagel there."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*" How about this one?" I asked Star. I emerged from the changing stall. I was wearing a tight pink halter topped dress that hugged my body all the way down to my legs. It had a slit on the side that when from the bottom of the dress that reached up to my thighs. Starfire scrunched up her nose and shook her head.  
  
"Oh! How about this one!" After a few moments of changing, I emerged once more, this time wearing a purple opened back dress. It was a bit shorter than the other one, and went down to about my knees. I didn't even need Stars horrified look to tell that this dress should be burned.  
  
"I'm running out of options." I mumbled.  
  
"HELLO LADIES!!" My head snapped around to face a The Feathers sales clerk. She had extremely wide eyes that a permanently insane grin plastered to her face, which showed all her teeth at once.  
  
"CAN I HELP YOU FIND ANYTHING TODAY?" she asked getting right in my face. "CAUSE THAT'S WHY I'M HERE!! TO HELP!! ITS MY JOB!!" she proved it by pointing to her name tag.  
  
"Yes, I can see..." I said backing away cautiously from her. I narrowed it down to two possibilities, this lady was either an escaped mentally patient that was going to grab an ax and hack us into tiny pieces, or she was a frustrated women going through a mid life crises, and has had too many espressos at the coffee shop.  
  
"We are on mission formal dress," Star informed her.  
  
"ALLOW ME TO HELP!" she reached out of the changing rooms and randomly plucked a dress off a nearby rack.  
  
"No thank-"Then I stopped. I reached out and took the dress from her. It was a powdered blue off the shoulders dress that was tight at the top, than at the wait, it flowed out to the ground. I didn't even need to try it on.  
  
"You are a genius," I told the lady.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"WOW! I can't believe we have never eaten here before!" I whispered to Star. We had decided to ditch eating at The Feather and went to La Peri Morales. A VERY fancy French restaurant. The room was so pretty! The chandlers cast a soft honey glow light from the high ceiling, and the walls were painted to look like a French palace. I picked up La menu and scanned my eyes over the choices. I looked up to Starfire,  
  
"Should I-"but I never finished the question. Our communicators when off at the same time. Star flipped hers open first and I rushed behind her chair to see what was up. The entire restaurant went quiet, hoping to overhear something interesting. Robins face filled the screen.  
  
"Whets up?" I asked frowning.  
  
"We just got a call from the police station," Robin said officially, "There a crime in progress at a local supermarket. A witness describes it to have just "iced over." I felt the hair on the back of my neck prickle. I closed my eyes and murmured some choice words under my breath. Robin smirked,  
  
"Friend of yours?" I glared at him in response. "Well, the rest of the team is on there way, I'll send you the coordinates." His face flicked off the screen, and was replaced by a map of Gothem. A little red blinking dot symbolized where the market was.  
  
"Star! Let's go kick some Ice ass!" Then the whole restaurant broke into applause.  
  
"But, we haven't done anything yet." Star said confusedly.  
  
"Yet being the key word here," I said. I couldn't wait to strangle that bastard. Star jumped to her feet and we raced to the door. One outside, we followed the coordinates to the seen of the crime.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
We flew silently to the coordinating Robin had given us. We looked down to see Cyborg and Beastboy waving at us from below. Star landed on the pavement besides the building smoothly while I landed with a bump. I saw Robin and Raven questioning a group of distraught customers.  
  
"Don't worry madam," Robin comforted a little old lady who had been doing her shopping when The Pack had decided to have fun with the store, "We've got it under control." I turned and looked at The Super Savers All In On Mart.  
  
Ice had defiantly been here, it was more if a block of ice that a store now. It was completely frozen on the outside, except for one door leading in. I glanced in; it was a maze, completely made of ice. It was a challenge.  
  
"It's a trap," BB said immediately as the team assembled in front of the door.  
  
"Of course it's a trap," I said rolling my eyes, "Ices little plan is that we go in. Then get split up. And then he supposedly "gets us." I knew Ice better than the rest of the team, so I took charge.  
  
"Ices ice powers are not that strong; it takes him a few seconds to form the ice, so the key is to surprise him here. Stealth is out upper hand here. That means no sonic blasts, or breaking of ice, that could lead a tail to one of us. This is a capture mission, find the gang members and bring them straight out here." I glanced to everyone. They nodded.  
  
"Titans! GO!" And with that, we entered the tunnels of ice.  
  
"Split up!" I commanded and we all entered our own ice tunnel. "And remember, no ice breaking unless it is absolutely necessary."  
  
I entered the labyrinth. The floors of the caves were slippery with ice, so I gently floated above the ground. For some reason, the lights were still working; Ice had made special care to ice around them apparently. The tunnels were iced over aisles, if you looked through the glassy ice, you could still see the products on the shelves. I ran my finger over the slippery wall as I glided on. I shivered with the thrill of the hunt.  
  
My heart pounded in my ears, I smiled confidently. Things would be different this time. This time I was the cat, and Ice was the mouse. All I had to do was track down the mouse in his labyrinth. I felt the adrenalin sweep through my veins.  
  
I turned left, then right. Left, right, right, right, opps! dead end, left right.  
  
After a long while of searching, I saw an escalator leading into the second story of the All in one Mart.  
  
The escalator had been completely frozen cover, creating a slippery ramp. The upstairs was completely dark. He must be up there. I shivered, partly because of the anticipation, partly because of the cold. I glided up the ramp and smiled as I entered the dark tunnel.  
  
StArRy- what it tell ya? We haven't seen the last of Ice. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR NICE REVIEWS!! And I would like to announce that the anime kid and chaos girl are witting a TT fict as well, so everyone better read it when the post it. Or else. 


	7. Caverns

I heard a sonic blast from the level below. Cyborg must have caught a gangster. I just hoped it wasn't Ice; I wanted to get him myself. I let one hand on the icy wall guide me through the pitch-black tunnel. This isn't like in your room at night dark; this is like, gone blind dark. My hand felt a corner, so I turned with it. I glided aimlessly in the dark, letting my hand guide me.  
  
Wait! I stopped and listened. There it was again! The soft sound of a breath.  
  
I floated all the way up to the icy ceiling and let my back press against it. I wanted to take whoever it was by surprise, so I wanted to avoid bumping into him. I was getting close, I can feel it. I could hear the footsteps directly below me. I felt the slight brush of the hair on the top of his head on my stomach. I knew it was him. I recognized his smell of cigarettes and cologne from the last time we met. I could feet his body heat rising up to me. I soundlessly floated inches above him. I want breathing, determined to stay soundless.  
  
And then... my communicator when off. Ding-a-ling ling! OH SHIT!  
  
"Qui est là ?!?!" I felt his hands wildly grab my stomach and hurl me to the ground. I felt pain roar threw my body as I connected with the ground He blindly tried to pounce on me, but I used my legs to send him flying over me into the wall next to me. I listened to the dull thump as he hit the ice. So much for stealth.  
  
"Whose der?!?!" he repeated, but this time in English. I rocketed back in the air, out of his reach. And I know I should have kept my mouth shut, but I just couldn't resist.  
  
"Hi Ice!" I said enthusiastically, "It me!! The little girl who kicked you ass last week!" He reached up and pulled me back down, but this time, not as roughly. I decided that maybe flying isn't such a good idea.  
  
Well no duh Naomi, I criticized myself. I thrashed out of his grasp and skidded a few feet away from him. I listened to his harsh breathing and aimed a kick in that direction.  
  
My foot just barley missed his face. I felt his fingers grip my leg, and then I lost my balance and tumbled to the ground, causing Ice to fall with me. I struggled to get back up, but he held my arms down and pinned me. But I refused to give in, I struggled and thrashed wildly. This isn't going to work; I glared in the direction that I hoped Ices face was in. We need to get back down o the lower level, where the light is.  
  
I lifted my head blindly and bit down hard on... I think it was his nose, or maybe his ear, but whatever it was, he yelped and loosed his grip for a split second. That was all the time I needed. I shot out from under him. I crawled away tying to regain my footing, but I felt him make wild grabs at my calf, causing me to fall right back down.  
  
But... it was weird. He wasn't trying to hurt or attack me; he was just trying to hold me still. I kicked backwards and felt my leg connect with... something. I slipped out of his grasp and sprinted down the tunnel, keeping one hand in front of me, guiding me down the icy labyrinth. I heard him cursing in French behind me. Then the sound of pounding feet was behind me. In spite of myself, I gave a little yelp.  
  
Then, just as I felt his hand on my shoulder, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The escalator! I made a final lunge at it as he tightened his grip on me. I felt my feet slip from under me. I groaned in pain as I fell and hit the foot of the escalator, but at last, we were in the light. I recoiled in pain as I felt Ices body fall; crushing mine. From above me, I saw Ice blink, trying to adjust to the light. I took advantage of his temporary confusion and tried to untangle my legs from his long trench coat and get away.  
  
But he noticed and, once again, pinned me to the ground. I growled in frustration.  
  
"What the hell?!?!" I asked angrily. I saw his face twist into a grin.  
  
"GET OFF!" I screeched squirming beneath him.  
  
"Get off? Are you sure cher?" His devilish grin widened. I glared up at him, but stopped struggling. I had to find another way. I was starting to realize how cold my back was getting from lying on the ice floor. I started concentrating on an element, and Ice must have noticed.  
  
"Icy wouldn't b' doing dat if he was you." He said laughing softy. I stopped and glared at him, challenging him to prove his statement. He lowered his face an inch away from mine. So close, his nose brushed mine.  
  
"Don you know how delicate ice is? If it b' breaking, it can send shards sharper dan glass raining down on us." My defiant look faltered, he was right. Shattered ice can do quite a number one you. I decided to play it cool, for now. I wanted to see what he was playing at before I tried to attack again.  
  
"Why are you even doing this?" I demanded angrily, like he was some sort of idiot, which he is, "What is the point of playing Freeze the Store?" He smiled charmingly,  
  
"Because Ice knew dat little girly would show." He whispered softly. I rolled my eyes in response.  
  
"Oh what, are you going to try to hand me over to Slade again? Remember how that ended last time?" I said as if I was talking to a preschooler.  
  
"Dats what Ice told de gang," Ice said coolly, "But... Ice has anoter idea in mind." My eyes got as big as saucers, and my heart skipped a beat. Oh god. He didn't mean...  
  
Then my communicator went off again, Ice arched an eyebrow. He lifted one hand away to reach it, while he held both mine with his other. I heard Starfires voice wafting from the tiny electronic.  
  
"Naomi? NAOMI?! Where are you friend? We have caught all the meanness doers, but we cannot locate you!" Ice smiled at me as if I should be impressed with him with this whole ordeal. He brought the communicator up to his lips,  
  
"I'm afraid de petite beauté cant talk right now, I'll tell her t' call you back mademoiselle, au revoir." And with that he tossed my communicator aside. He smirked as if that was the wittiest thing anyone had ever said. The he turned to me.  
  
"Icy got anoter ting in mind," he repeated. I looked up at him, expecting the worst. But then, much to my surprise, he got off me, and offered a hand to help me up. "And now cher, we b' fighting," he said a matter of factly. I knocked his hand out of the way and got to my feet on my own. He just stood there grinning like this was all very amusing. Ooookkkay. This guys a weird one. I aimed a kick at him, but he calmly stepped out of the way. I landed behind him, but the ice caused me to fall.  
  
But before I hit the ground, I used my arm to spring myself back to my feet. A stream of ice narrowly missed my head; I ducked, thinking the ice was aimed at me. But when I looked around, I saw that Ice was just closing off one of the exits. I rushed past him, trying to escape the other direction, but Ice immediately put up an ice wall there as well. No! I was trapped in with an egotistical sick-o! That's the worst kind!  
  
"No!" I cried as I pounded the ice with my fists. I whirled around and faced Ice, who shrugged innocently.  
  
"As de say in America, oppsie."  
  
"I'm going to kill you, you mother fucker," I said in a soft voice that shook with anger.  
  
"Oooh, Ice cant wait!" he said sweetly, as if he was agreeing to go out on a date. I stopped caring that may powers may cause the ice to shatter. I directed a blast of fire in his direction. He absentminded ducked down, avoiding getting him. Then he straightened up and rocked back and forth on his feet, as if he was board. I stared shaking with anger, and he knew it. He mocked sighed,  
  
"Little girl, when are you going t' stop playing wid me and actually get serious? I haven't got all day, you know. Icy got a very tight schedule." He hit a nerve and knew it. I don't even know WHY I was so mad at him; just something about his handsome face and rolling accent was absolutely infuriating. He smiled innocently and shed his long brown trench coat to the floor. He smiled and opened his arms as if he wanted me to hug him. With out warning, a flamethrower erupted from my hand. I let the flame continue. I squinted into the shimmering heat. Something was wrong. I stopped the flame. I saw Ice, just barley out of the reach of my flame. He had his head tilted towards the ice ceiling.  
  
"Icy wouldn't have done dat if he b' you." He said calmly. I looked up to the ice ceiling. A huge crack was tearing down the cavern, branching off in all directions. The flame had been to hot, causing to much heat at the cold ice at once, it had caused the ice to crack. Wow, maybe I really shouldn't have done that. Then, deafening sound of the tunnel exploding hit my ears, the thunder of millions of razor sharp shards of ice tearing. Then the entire cave gave way. I looked up in horror as the shards started raining down.  
  
I couldn't think, I couldn't breath. It was just to fast to react to. But none of the icy knives tore my fair skin. I felt Ice grab me and press me to his body, to shelter me from the storm of shards. In spite of myself, I pressed my face into Ices chest, and squeezed my eyes shut. I heard the ice shattering all around me, it sounded like breaking glass. He tightened his grip around me and swore in French,  
  
"Merde, glace foutue!!!" I heard the last shard fall to the ground with a soft clink. I opened my eyes, and found I was covered with...Ice. He lifted his head from where he had been burying in my neck. He looks very frustrated with me. Ice pushed me down to a sitting position on the ground and began checking me for injures.  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT?" I yelled swatting his hand away.  
  
"Hey!" he exclaimed indignantly, "Ice just saved you! Doesn't dat count for anyting?" I thought I heard a pleading note in his voice.  
  
"Its NOT your job to save me! It's your job to commit crimes! Then I do the saving!" I said frustrated.  
  
"So Ices out of de job den, non?" he used his trademark smirk. He continued to search me for injuries. He was practical sitting on me! I opened my mouth to tell him to get off, but then I heard a familiar voice echo through the ruins.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL!!! GET OFF HER!!" I felt Ices body weight suddenly get yanked off me. Beastboy was dragging Ice away from me, mad as hell. Ice twisted around and socked Beastboy in the face, knocking him to the ground. Ice stood up and looked at BB critically.  
  
"So, you b' de one who can change, non?" Beastboy ignored him.  
  
"Naomi, are you ok? Did he hurt you? If he hurt you I swear to god I'll kill him!" He scrambled to his feet to face the much taller and stronger Ice.  
  
"So, I suppose you b' little girls lapdog, non?" He meant it to sound as nasty as possible, but I caught a note of resentment in his sneer. Then Ice turned to me,  
  
"Oh, come on cher, you can do so much better dan dat." He said gesturing in BBs direction.  
  
Then with out warning, BB lunged at Ice. He faced Ice with nothing but his own to fists. I heard a sickening crack and Ices fist collided with Beastboys jaw. I watched them beat each other. They rolled around in the field of shards, desperate to hurt each other. I was confused. Should I jump in and help BB? Or break it up. Luckily I didn't have to do either.  
  
"Freeze! Nobody move!" I looked over my shoulder to look directly into the eye of a gun, held by a burly police officer. I instinctively ducked down. Ice and BB had stopped fighting to look at the police officer; Ices fist was poised just above Beastboys face as BB was preparing to kick him in the kneecap. Both were cut up pretty badly. Both of their clothes were cut and torn from the shards of ice on the ground. BB arms were red instead of there usual pleasant green color. And Ices leg had a long gash on it, trailing from his ankle to his knee. Not to mention his back, where all the razor shards had cut him from when he saved me.  
  
Ice stood up abruptly, and looked around for an escape. He looked doubtful, he couldn't get away, not with two Titans, a police officer, and the building surrounded. Then he looked thoughtful for a minute.  
  
"Ice will come wit you, but on one condition," he smiled perverted, "Only if da little girl is de one dat handcuffs me." He gestured in my direction.  
  
"Yeah, like you have a choice," BB sneered. But I was cold, tired, and aching. I snatched the cuffs away from the police officer and I stormed over to Ice, whose smile got bigger with every step closer. I roughly shoved him against the wall so his back was to me.  
  
"Ohhhh, Cher! You b' good at dis! He exclaimed. I latched the handcuffs on him while he whispered perverted sounding French in my ear. And while he was occupied with me, the officer took a small syringe filled with a clear liquid and stuck the needle into Ices neck. He yelped in surprise, but then became calm and drowsy. He stumbled and grinned insanely at me,  
  
"J'éclaterai, et je vous trouverai... Ma petite fille!"Then he fell the ground. I didn't know the words, but I knew what he meant. The jail won't hold him, he will escape somehow. I knelt beside him, and quickly brushed away the shards out of under his head, so his head would rest on the smooth tile of the ground, where the ice had melted.  
  
BB looked at me a little strangely, I just shrugged. The officer pulled out a walkie-talkie and called before back up.  
  
"You kids go ahead," he said waving his hand towards the exit.  
  
"Are you sure?" I asked, looking at Ice as if he might jump to his feet.  
  
"This is strong tranquilizer, he wont be up for hours."  
  
"If you sure, thank you officer." He just grumbled in response. Beastboy and I had a silent walk out of the supermarket. I noticed his hands were in stiff fists and he held his body rigidly. I skidded out into the bright warm glow of day.  
  
I breathed in the sweet air, and tilt my head back, basking in the warmth. I smiled as the suns beams caressed my cold cheeks. I looked over to BB who seriously looked like he was considering running back in there and beating the crap out of Ice while he was still unconscious. I looked over to him, and my expression softened. Poor little green got the shit beat out of him.  
  
"Thanks for helping me, elf." I said as I planted a friendly peck on his cheek. His face twisted to surprise. I saw a couple policemen carrying out Ice, so I left Beastboy to grab a permanent marker to draw a penis on Ices face before he woke up.  
  
StArRy- looooooooooong chapter. Anywho, I really love the reviews you people send me!! I check everyday to see if there are any new ones.  
  
But SoftballTitan, I read the review where you wrote what all the Titans were thinking, and I thought it was so funny! I'm actually going to post it on my bio! But I'm going to say its yours, of course. Anyway, if anyone wants to post a review like Softballtitan, I will happily post it as well. But only if it's funny! ^__^  
  
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW PEOPLE! 


	8. The ball

I winced as I lifted my leg up on the sofa to put new bandages. Sure, Raven could have healed them in second, but I refused. I don't really know why, I think maybe its some pride thing. Ice wasn't getting HIS injures healed, and if he could take it, so could I.  
  
His were actually much worse than mine though, he had cuts. All I had were bruises. But trust me, these aren't the kind of purplish bruises you get from falling down on the sidewalk. These are the kinds that turn yellowish, and bruised to the bone. I swore in pain as Starfire assisted me with my bandage changing.  
  
"Oh Naomi, it brings me an aurora of bad emotions to see you in such pain! Is the pain much?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah Star," I replied scrunching up my face, "It's a real booboo."  
  
"Booboo," she repeated sadly. But her sympathy obviously didn't last long, "Look Naomi! That bruise on your leg is in the shape of a bunny!"  
  
"No it isn't," I said critically.  
  
"Turn your head in this angle."  
  
"Ohhh! Now I see it! And the little purple spot in the middle of it is his nose!"  
  
"Why won't you just let me heal you?" Raven asked as she entered the living room.  
  
"I'm not wimping out when Ice can't." I said stubberly. Raven rolled her eyes, and pushed Starfire forcefully off the sofa, and sat down in her place. Star yelped as she hit the ground with a thump.  
  
"Excuse me Raven, but I was attending to my Friend Forevers medical needs!" she said with a note of anger in her voice. Oh no... they weren't going to start fighting are they? Raven ignored her and looked to me.  
  
"Robin wants to know if you can still make the ball tonight." I smiled; I knew Robin hadn't asked her. She was just making sure I was going so that she would have to go alone.  
  
"Of course! My dress will cover the bruises! They already look better than yesterday!"  
  
"Oh! We will have so mush merriment!" Star exclaimed sitting in-between Raven and I.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*  
  
"And here's to the Teen Titans! Who have served our city, and for which, we are eternally grateful!" The Mayor looked to us adoringly. I glanced around the long table, filled with the very sophisticated looking people. Everyone at the table drank deep to the Mayors last statement.  
  
"Now, enjoy the on trays!" Then he rushed over to where we were sitting and took a seat as close to us as possible.  
  
"So!" he said loudly so the entire table would see how "close" we are, "How are you fine adolescents doing?"  
  
"Fine," we all chorused together. I looked around the room only royalty would feel at home in. The high ceiling had enormous chandler that sent the bright light scattering in all directions, the china dishes and cups we were dining from were lined with gold.  
  
"Don't they have little plastic sippy cups?" I whispered to Beastboy, "Because I know I'm gonna drop my cup. I always drop it." He smiled as if he thought I was joking, and then he reached for the food that the butlers had placed on the table. After the appetizers, Robin stood up and made a speech. I only have listened to it; having memorized it myself after Robin practiced it out loud all day at the tower.  
  
"We are the protectors for this fine city-" Bla bla bla bla, "Swear to uphold truth, justice will punish the wrongdoers-" This isn't funny, I am going to drop this cup. Ok Naomi, tiny sips, tiny sips. Ok... now slowly...put it back.... on the table. "Our dear friend, Mayor Castro-" This dress it so uncomfortable! The straps keep falling down farther than there supposed to. I'm I showing anything? I leaned over to ask Star. "The Titans will be here, as long as the city needs us. Thank you" Robin concluded  
  
Oh! Done already? I turned my attention to the food. None of it seemed familiar to me. I elbowed BB,  
  
"Hey, what's that weird looking stuff in that blue bowl?" BB shrugged.  
  
"Its caviar," Raven replied dully.  
  
"I don't like it." I said immediately.  
  
"Have you ever even tried it before?"  
  
"No, but I know I don't like it." She rolled her eyes, but gave me a small smile.  
  
~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~  
  
The fancy pants band struck up a lively tune, and the dance floor came alive with dancing. Well, as alive as you can get waltzing. We the Titans stood uncomfortably in one corner of the ballroom. I couldn't help a smiled, the boys looked so cute in their little tuxedos! Especially Beastboy who kept glaring down at his, as if it was insulting to him to wear such a thing. Raven was leaning against the wall, trying to keep to the shadows, this is, and I quote from Raven, "the most horrific experience I have ever had to encounter", for Robin had forced her to wear a dress. Raven had a black medieval looking dress, that had blood red folds in the creases.  
  
And Star was wearing a purple prom type dress. I hear she wore it once before, some thing about a prom on a fancy boat. But Star always got too upset to finish the story. Oh well. I looked out into the sea of elderly aristocrats. I grinned,  
  
"I should go out there and do my sexy dace."  
  
"Naomi! NO! The last thing we need is for you to give the elderly heart attacks!" Beastboy exclaimed in mock horror. I stuck my tongue out at him.  
  
"Come one," Robin said sighing, "We don't want to seem rude, it's bad for our image." Then he got all leader like on us. "Naomi! Cyborg! Go dance in that corner! Raven and Beastboy, go over and dance near the band." He was giving orders like we were on a mission! "And Star and I will dance here." I grinned as I saw him grasp Starfires hand,  
  
"Ok, but try not to stress yourself too much wonder boy!" I looked over and saw Beastboys face, he looked like Robin had just penalized him a death sentence. I could see why, Raven probably isn't someone you would want to have to convince to waltz. The band struck up another tune,  
  
"Come on hommie!" I said cheerfully as I pulled Cyborg to the dance floor. This was just about he funniest thing in the world. Mister. Tinman and Miss elemental were going to waltz. I put one arm out and Cy grasped it, as I put my other arm around his shoulder. Then he placed his mechanical arm around my waist. I started cracking up.  
  
"We are an odd couple, are we not?"  
  
"No way!! We look so cool, Nomi Hommie!"  
  
"Well duh! We are down with the lango, my shizzle! Now, lets waltz gangsta!" Then I thought for a minute, "And try not to step on my feet! Okay home fry?"  
  
"I will do my best, my rizzal."  
  
Ok, lets keep this in tempo, 1234, 1234, 123-"Ow! Get off my foot!" "Sorry!" Ok, 1234, 1234, 1234 "Ow!" He shrugged as he shuffled his feet off of mine  
  
. "You are SUCH a clutz!" He smiled and punched my arm lightly,  
  
"No, you're the clutz, home dawg."  
  
"No, you are!"  
  
"NO, YOU ARE!"  
  
"Cy, don't make my knock you out! Because I'm wearing my bling-bling ring!" I held out my plastic ring I had gotten out of the one-quarter machines at the supermarket.  
  
"Oh no! Don't punch me when you're wearing you bling!" he said pretending to be afraid.  
  
"Yeah that right! You got told!"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"You shut up!"  
  
"You shut up!"  
  
"You shut up times ten whatever you say!" I said gleefully.  
  
"Shut up times twenty then."  
  
"Ohh, but I'm still times ten ahead of you!!"  
  
"Times infinity!"  
  
"But I'm still times ten ahead of that too! I win!"  
  
"Titans! Time to leave!!" Robin said as he rushed past me, his face was brick red.  
  
"What's his problem?" Cy asked me. I rolled my eyes,  
  
"Lets save time by listing what isn't his problem... and.... I got nothing." He snorted. Then Star came up to my, giggling.  
  
"What's up with our fearless leader?" I asked, hoping it would be something I could use as black mail later.  
  
"Well," she said giggling, "When Robin and I were shuffling our feet to this arrangement of instrumental sounds, I accidentally brushed up against Robin, and... never mind."  
  
My homme and I slowly turned to each other. Our faces slowly twisted into insane smiles, and we busted up laughing. Yay! It was defiantly blackmail material!!  
  
"What's so funny?" asked a suspiciously looking Beastboy from behind me.  
  
"I thought you were dancing with Raven," I said.  
  
"Yes, well, our "dance" was interrupted when she refused to put her arm around my shoulder. She's very disagreeable that one."  
  
"I don't blame her." I said smirking.  
  
"Hey! That wasn't very nice!"  
  
"Oh! Do we get to leave now?" asked Raven; as if that would be the greatest thing that could ever happen to her.  
  
"Yeah, but lets give Robin a few minutes alone first." Everyone laughed, but Beastboy and Raven.  
  
"What? Did I miss something?"  
  
~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to accompany us to the moving picture films?" Starfire asked, eyes wide, trying to copy my trademark-pleading look. "Even Ravens going!"  
  
"No Star," I replied huskily from beneath my bed sheets. "I really don't feel well today." My voice was dry and scratchy.  
  
"All right, but you should really try to consume a nutritional compound of some sorts."  
  
"BB already brought me some soup, and I threw it up, I'll try again a little later."  
  
"Ok, see you in the future hours my friend, please get some sleep." I continued to lay weakly, in a featly position until I could hear the sound of the T- car no longer. I jumped out of my bed, and rushed to freshen my make up and took out my pigtails. I looked in the mirror and decided to lose my uniform. I reached for a white tank top and tight blue jeans. I then wrenched open my window and flew out, not knowing what was in store for me.  
  
~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*  
  
I looked up nervously at the dingy door. I reached my hand to knock, but then brought it back down. I heard angry yelling in the house next to this one. I inhaled deeply, and then I nervously wrapped my knuckles on the door. I waited for some matter of minutes, until the door creaked open.  
  
"Whadda ya want?" Asked my only living relative.  
  
She couldn't be more than 30, but she looked so much older. Premature wrinkles lined her mouth and eyes. She looked like he had never slept in her life; she had enormous bags under her sunken eyes. She had a sickly look to her skin, and her hair hung in clumps around her skull. Her gaunt face seemed pinched, and tight. The only thing that let me know that she was alive was her intense metallic blue eyes.  
  
"Um... may I come in?" I asked hesitantly. She grunted in reply, but stood aside to allow me access into her house. I looked around the small room. It had a thin layer of dust on every surface, which was only a couple of shelves and a small table. Everything was dull colored, except for a small, colorful baby rattle in the corner.  
  
"Uh, hi. My names Naomi." I said uncertainly as she kicked the door shut behind me. "You... might have seen me on T.V. or something.  
  
"Uh," she grunted as she sat on the table and lit up a cigarette. I started to feel even more uncomfortable.  
  
"Well, as I'm sure your aware off, I... come from the past... and you see, and one day." I tugged on my hair nervously, "I was curious to find out about my families descendants, so I looked it up, and my only living relative is...you." I finished lamely.  
  
"So?" she asked as she took a long drag of her cigarette.  
  
"So?" I repeated disbelievingly. Why wasn't she happy about this?  
  
"So, were related! We're...family." I said softly.  
  
"Doesn't mean I care," she said bluntly. I felt like she had driven a knife through my heart. In fact, I wished she had, that would have hurt a lot less than her words.  
  
"I...I..." I stammered. I felt my heart wrench painfully with every beat. I had been so full of hope; hope that I might have a mother again.  
  
"Now, git off mah property, before Ah call the fuzz on chu." I didn't need to be told twice. I whirled around, and opened the door, and left. I walked aimlessly down the ghettos, no hearing, not seeing, only felling the pain of rejection by my family.  
  
I hardly noticed the little tufts of grass that sprang up in my footsteps. A single tear rolled down my face, and where it hit the ground, a small flower popped up in its place. I was so lost in my emotion that I didn't even hear the soft padding of shoes creeping up behind me.  
  
"Little girl, what have Icy b' telling you about déplacement alone in de ghettos?" Ices voice playfully whispered in my ear. I didn't even acknowledge his existence. I just kept walking, staring at the ground of this unfriendly world. He seemed just bursting to tell me how he escaped form the police, and since I wasn't asking, he just blurted it out.  
  
"Dey didn't even get Ice t' d' prison! De tranquilizer wore off before dey tought it would. Americans! Dey just don' know-" He paused. I could practical hear the gears in his head turning as he put the clues together. My traced state, the plants springing up, how low I hung my head.  
  
"Aww, what b' wrong wid little girl? Was someone mean t' her?" He tried to sound taunting, but he just couldn't mask the concern in his voice. I just continued walking.  
  
"Hey, hey, hey!" he gently gripped my shoulder to stop my walking. "Why is my little girl so triste? Why she so down?" I didn't reply.  
  
"Hey! Icy know what t' do! Ice can freeze over anoter store! Non! A mall! Den de little girl can find Ice again! Dis time, Ice will leave a trail of cheese, t' help you find him! Wont dat b' fun?" he asked brightly.  
  
"NO! THAT WON'T BE FUN!" I exploded at him.  
  
Then my voice when all soft and dangerous, "This is just a game to you, isn't it? I left EVERYTHING I had to come here! Because I thought that I actually might be able to do some good in this fucked up world! BUT NO! I end up wasting ALL my time going on wild goose chases after people like you! And you know what?!? Fuck you Ice! GO! Freeze any goddamn thing you want! I'm not wasting any more time on you. Your not worth my time!"  
  
I stalked off. I felt him grab my waist from behind and pressed me to his body.  
  
"Dat wasn't very nice, I b' starting t' tink you not a very sweet little girl anymore," he whispered into my ear. I felt rage pulsing in my veins.  
  
"Don't. You. Ever. Touch. Me." I hissed one word at a time. I ripped his hands off my hips and rocketed into the air, not looking back.  
  
I sailed through the sky until I was far, far away from him. I sighed, and rolled over on my back in the sky, looking up at the clouds. I don't know how long I drifted, I might have never have stopped, but then, my communicator when off, jerking me from my trance. I reached down and grasped it. I flipped it open, and was surprised when I didn't see a familiar face looking back at me.  
  
But instead was a graph of Gothem, with a little blinking dot on the coordinates 50 degrees longitude, and 70 degrees latitude. This was creepy. I was about to call the others, but something stopped me. I'm not sure what. But, I just... didn't. I changed my direction and flew to 50 degrees longitude, and 70 degrees latitude.  
  
StArRt- Ohhh! That's bad! There isn't anything good waiting for her! I can promise you that! Important- a VERY big secret will be reveled in the next chapter! A VERY, VERY big secret! So be prepared for a fight! Anywho, PLEASE REVIEW! Even if you don't have anything to criticize me on! Just let me know how the story is going! 


	9. The runaway

I kept to the shadows as I slunk inside the abandoned warehouse. The drab rectangular room was filled with wooded crates, stacked one top of each other, wobbling dangerously. The only source of light was one small rectangular window, near the thirty foot ceiling, casting a small beam of light over the dusty crates. I hid in one corned, surrounded by crates. I wanted to see who had called me here before the realized I was here.  
  
Suddenly one of the towers of crates I was hiding behind wobbled. I looked up to see the crates tip over in my direction. I watched in horror as one crate fell right above me. I shut my eyes and ducked. CRACK! I cautiously opened my eyes and looked around. I was surrounded by wooden splinters. Something had caused the crate to break before it had hit me. I inspected the remains. Had I done that?  
  
Suddenly a cold had griped mine and pinned it to the wall. I looked up to see a face I had only heard about. A face that had arranged so much pain. A face that struck fear even into the bravest of warriors. Slade. He wore a mask hiding his face, with a single eye delicately painted on one side. I gasped, in awe of being in the presents of such evil. I could feel the cold hatred of the world radiating from his massive body. I stared at him in wonderment. He made a deep throated sound, a laugh... that had lost all feeling, except hatred. A chilling laugh.  
  
"I'm glad you could make it Naomi," he said in a deathly calm voice. I got a hold of my senses, and glared at him.  
  
"You're the reason!" I said suddenly, "You're the reason I had to leave my home!"  
  
"Oh," he said coolly, "Is that what they told you?" he put his masked face close to mine, "No Naomi, you're the reason you had to leave." My insides turned cold.  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice wavering.  
  
"The Titans didn't bring you here so you could save people. They brought you here to save people from you," he stated calmly.  
  
He griped my hand so tightly that the tips of my fingers turned white from lack of blood circulation.  
  
"Don't you notice," He whispered softly, "The dark looks they share when you use your powers?" He tightened his grip even more, causing me to cry out in pain. "You "friends" have been lying to you. You're not a Titan, you're a prisoner."  
  
I thought back, I do remember Raven grim face when I first help beat the H.I.V.E., but I thought she always had a grim face. But whatever Slade was hinting at couldn't be true.  
  
"You are a liar." I whispered.  
  
"No, your "friends" are the liars"  
  
"NO!" I struggled to be free of his grip on my hand, and to my surprise, he didn't resist. I flew up to the small window, desperate to be free of his presents. He was crazy... dangerous crazy.  
  
"Look in the file," a voice called from below me as I shot out the window.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
My heart pounded in my ears as I slowly opened the door to the I.R. room. They others wouldn't be back for a while, so I wasn't sure why I was sneaking around. Maybe because I was ashamed I didn't trust them. I crossed the room and opened the filing cabinet, and lifted the yellow folder Robin had snatched away from me, a from my first day in the tower. I sat cross- legged on the floor, looking at the folder with my name on it. My real name. My hand felt numb as I picked up the folder and dumped the contents on the floor.  
  
Out fell various news paper clippings. I picked up one that was worn and yellowed with age, and looked at the date. It was from my time! It had to be more than 150 years old!  
  
I looked at the headline: "House Fire Destroys Neighborhood, Only One Survives." I looked farther down to see a picture. A neighborhood... MY neighborhood. Only now, it was a pile of ashes. Someone had taken a yellow highlighter and highlighted a person in the picture. I looked closer. It was me, standing beside the ruins crying. I body stiffened as I looked back at the date. It was exactly two weeks and one day since I had met Robin.  
  
That's why he wouldn't allow me to linger, not even for a day, or this would have happened. I dropped the article as if it was poisonous. No, I didn't! I couldn't... I picked up another article from the pile. Local High School Floods: 20 injurious, no deaths. I looked down to the picture to see I was highlighted once again, next to an ambulance, only this time, I wasn't alone.  
  
A crowd of my peers were standing by the school, some were crying. I just stood there and looked confused, as Jessi stood beside me. Her hand was over her mouth as her eyes were scrunched up in tears.  
  
I looked over the other articles; "Local Library just "vines up", "Lady swears to have seen a flying "angel.", "Flash flood totals high way". And in every picture I had been highlighted. Sometimes I was crying, other times, I just looked scared. I watched myself grow older and older as the articles spanned over the course of my life time. Then, the last clipping was an obituary... my obituary. SLAM! My head snapped up at the sound of the front door shutting. The other were home. I grabbed the articles and stuffed them back into the folder and shoved the folder back into the filling cabinet. I crept out of the I.R. room, wanting to make it back to my bedroom with out being seen.  
  
"Naomi?" I spun around and saw Raven behind me. "I see you are... better," she said eyeing me suspiciously. Suddenly I felt the rage rise to a boil inside of me.  
  
"Shut up!!" I spat dangerously, suddenly angrily. She had known, she had known all along and never told me!  
  
"What?" she asked, confused by my strange behavior.  
  
"Don't. You. Ever. Dare. Talk. To. Me. Again." I hissed one word at a time.  
  
"Naomi? What's wrong with you?" She asked, looking a little hurt. I shoved past her, and marched straight to my room, slamming and locking the door behind me. I collapsed in my bed, feeling sick. I had done it. I had killed my loved ones; I think I am going to throw up. Suddenly I heard Robins and Ravens voices outside my door. I buried my face in my pillow, not wanting to hear what they were saying about me, but wisps of their conversation floated into my ears.  
  
"I don't know! She just freaked-"  
  
"Knows the file- order- to long."  
  
"get others." Then I heard the sound on more pairs of feet outside my door.  
  
"Naomi? May I have a sentence with you?" Stars voice asked cautiously threw the locked door. "Go away" I muttered into my pillow, knowing that they couldn't hear me.  
  
"Listen," Cyborg said, "We just got a call from the police station. Ice has gone crazy, they say he's really pissed about something and keeps yelling about you. We really need you to come, he might listen to you."  
  
"Oh! You need MY help!" I said my voice dripping with sarcasm, "I am SO honored! So honored in fact, I think I'll leave everything that is important to me so I can live with a bunch a bunch of liars who can take roll in being my zoo keepers!" I buried my face back into my pillow  
  
"That's untrue!" Stars voice cried desperately from the other side of the door.  
  
"Listen, we have to stop Ice," Robin said to the others, "Raven, stay with Naomi. The rest of us will go stop Ice."  
  
"Its no use," I said into my pillow.  
  
"What?" asked Beastboy. "It's no use!" I yelled raising my face from the pillow,  
  
"He wont listen to you, I already told him I didn't give a fuck about what he dose anymore do he wont just be playing around this time."  
  
"You talked to him?" Beastboy asked suspiciously. I didn't reply.  
  
"I think we need to find Ice and question him first," Robin's orders to the others wavered into my room. I felt the footsteps of the others grow softer until the door to the tower shut behind them. The only sound in the tower was Ravens soft breathing in the hall outside my door. I heard a soft click as she telekinetically unlocked my door and entered my room. I felt the bed sag down as she took a seat next to me. I rolled over, refusing to face her. At first there was a long silence, and then the question burst out of me.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
She sighed, "I didn't want to hurt you. I wanted to wait until the right moment, but I guess I waited to long." I lifted my head,  
  
"I can't believe I did all that."  
  
"No!" she said quickly, "No, history changed when we took you to live with us, you had never done that."  
  
"Well, it must have been true at one point," I said miserably, "Other wise those clippings-"  
  
"You family and friends lived long and happy lives," Raven interrupted firmly, "You did nothing wrong."  
  
"No... you did." She looked shocked,  
  
"Naomi, please don't be angry at me. I was just trying to help-"  
  
"Help?!? How can you call lying helping?!?" I exploded. I glared at her, "How can I trust you anymore? What else are you keeping from me? Do I grow up to be an ax murderer? Oh, or better yet, maybe in a few years I'll just lose my mind and kill babies for a hobby. I need you to tell me, since you are so very superior to me!!!"  
  
"Naomi!" She yelled back, getting angry as well, "How can you say that?!? Were your friends!!"  
  
"No... you're not," I whispered. Ravens mouth dropped. Her eyes when wide in pain, she lost control of her powers and my window shattered. I couldn't believe I just said that. Just then her communicator went off.  
  
"Fuck," she muttered and flipped it open.  
  
"Raven! We really need back up girl! Ice has gone fucking ballistic and has turned downtown into a freezer! What did Naomi say to him?!?! He's as mad as hell!!"  
  
"I'll be right there," she replied. She stood up, "You coming?" I turned my back to her.  
  
"Fine, you're right then. You're not our friend. Pack up your shit, you're out." I gasped in shock. I bolted to my feet, but she had disappeared into thin air.  
  
"FINE!!" I yelled grabbing a small backpack of mine.  
  
"Fucking fine!" I screamed to no one. I had accumulated a lot of stuff over my time with the Titans, but I only shoved the necessities in my backpack. Then I changed out of my uniform, and changed into tight jeans and a white tank top and sneakers. I furiously ripped the pigtail ties out of my hair, ripping out some of my hair as well. I threw my uniform and my Titans communicator onto my messy bed.  
  
I was just about to storm out of there when something caught my eye. I reached out to my dresser and picked up a framed picture. It was from our day at the water park. I was in a bikini sitting on Cys shoulder as Star hugged me in mid air. Raven lay coolly on a beach towel, reading a book while Robin and Beastboy arm wrestled. Beastboy was losing badly, but they looked up and smiled for the camera. We all looked so happy. I gently picked up the picture and placed it in my backpack, delicately folding it into on of my soft shirts.  
  
And with that, I wrenched open my window and sailed out of the tower.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* My heart felt sick as I crammed happy thoughts in my head to stay in the air. I glided over the city, having no idea where to go. I couldn't return to my own time, history would be altered back to the nightmare in the news clippings  
  
Suddenly a blast of cold air hit my body. I looked down to see the cause of it, the entire down town area was a frozen wasteland. And the icy streets were completely abandoned, except for one tiny movement below. I dropped down to the ground and skidded and slipped to where I had seen the brief movement. Ice.  
  
He was sitting on a halve concrete wall surrounding a small elevated garden, but the flowers dropped with the weight of icicles that were formed on their petals. He was sitting unconcernedly, smoking a cigarette, looking content with himself. "Ice!" I called to him. He turned around and let a stream of black smoke escape from his mouth.  
  
"Oh, it is only de little girl." Then he turned his back to me again, and continued smoking. "Ice!" I repeated, getting frustrated.  
  
"Fight is over, sorry little girl. You will have t' play wid Ice anoter time." He smirked. I stood in front of him with my arms crossed.  
  
"If the fight is over, why aren't you in jail?" I asked suspiciously.  
  
"Just because de fight is over, don mean de Titans win," he said simply.  
  
"What? Where are they?!?" He took a long drag from his cigarette, ignoring me.  
  
"Tell me!!" I cried grabbing his shoulders and putting my face close to his. "Where are they?" He didn't reply, but blew his smoke in my face. Oh god. He wasn't going to tell me. I dropped my backpack to the ground and sat beside him on the cold concrete wall. I drew my knees up to my chest and buried my face in my hands. I felt Ice stroke my hair with one hand, lowering it with each stroke. Soon he was rubbing my lower back.  
  
"Whatever you're doing, stop." I mumbled. But this only encouraged him, because then he started running the tips of his fingers in the crease of my back. I lifted my head to stare at him.  
  
"You want t' know where your friends b'?" My facial expression changed,  
  
"Yes!" I exclaimed, sounding a little more hopeful than I meant to.  
  
"Wait," he said looking down to my backpack, "you b' runnin' away cher? Icy wouldn't b' doin' dat if he b' you."  
  
"Skip it! Where are my friends?!"  
  
"What dose Icy get in return?" I glared at him,  
  
"What do you want?" I asked throw gritted teeth.  
  
"Hmmm," he said thoughtfully as he put his arms around my waist and pulled me up on his lap.  
  
"Hmmm... What t' ask for?" I grew impatient and wiggled off his lap,  
  
"Just pick!" I fell off him and landed on the ground.  
  
"Oww," I moaned rubbing my butt. Ice laughed and helped me to my feet.  
  
"Icy can tink of a couple of tings, but being a Monsieur of mon standards, I will only request the pleasure of your accompaniment to one of de local clubs."  
  
"Is that like a date or something," I asked, narrowing my eyes.  
  
"Oui."  
  
"But we're not old enough to go to clubs," I said as if I was talking to a preschooler.  
  
"Dats why we b' sneaking in," he replied rolling his eyes, "Sacrebleu! I tought dat one of de Titans would b' smarter dan dis!"  
  
"Shut up. Now, what about my friends?" I demanded He took one final drag and flicked the cigarette to the ground. It sizzled as the red hot tip met the chilled ground.  
  
"Ice know dat little girl not b' showin' up t' dis fight, so Ice made arrangements with Slade." He said unconcernedly. No!  
  
"Where are they?" I demanded desperately.  
  
"Ah! Ice agree to tell little girl what happened to friends! Not where dey are!"  
  
Fine! I'll just use my... oh god no. If I still had my communicator, Id be able to locate my friends, but I left it back at the tower! Ice was my only chance!  
  
"Tell me!" I cried pushing him.  
  
"Oh goodie! Do we get t' fight?" he asked hopefully. No... that would take to long. I had to know now.  
  
"Look, if you tell me where my friends are, I won't turn you into the police, ok?" He looked slightly disappointed that we weren't going to fight, but my deal was just too tempting.  
  
StArRy- O__0 Wow! That's some heave stuff! Well, its 12:26 in the morning, and I have to got to get up for school at 6:00 in the morning tomorrow, so that's all for now. REVIEW!! 


	10. Whats with the flowers?

Ice gave me a crooked smile as he pushed me into Flores Flower Shop. I looked around, inhaling the moist sent of the numerous flower arrangements. The brightly pained walls had many shelves, covered with porcelain figurines to go with the vases.  
  
It looked completely... normal. Ice reached out and plucked a rose off its stem from a nearby bouquet, and brushed it under my nose.  
  
I snatched it out of his hand and tried to balance the bud back on the stem. There is no way in hell I'm paying for a full bouquet of roses because he was stupid. It balanced for a moment, but then fell off. Ice laughed.  
  
"Fuck you." I muttered. I was NOT in the mood for this.  
  
"Ohhhhh! Sound kinky!" He said winking. What a sick freak. I was about to tell him that I would rip out his eyeball if he dared wink at me again, but I heard footsteps farther in the shop.  
  
"Bonjor?" Ice called in reaction to the sound.  
  
"Oh! Yes, hello!" A plump, cheerful looking woman pranced into sight. She had rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes; she had a fluttery voice that rang throughout the small shop. She had a spotless white apron over her Flores Flowers uniform.  
  
"Ah, Bonjor!" Ice said very officially, "I would like t' know if you b' selling any jaune lilac bouquets." He placed his hands on my waist and smiled. "Dey b' for my petite amie." He added.  
  
If I had a knife, I swear to god I would have stabbed him without hesitation.  
  
"Oh, yes! We certainly have those! There in the back." She turned to show lead us to the back of the store.  
  
"Such a adorable couple!" She murmured happily to herself. Unfortunately I still heard it. I whirled around to face Ice, who just smiled at my anger.  
  
"You...! You...!" I was so angry I couldn't get the words out. He made a "come on" gesture with his hands.  
  
"Avancé cher, Ice don have all jour you know." My face flushed, and I turned to storm out of there. But he grabbed my shoulder, "Icy wouldn't b doing dat, you never save you amis if you leave." I had no choice; I had no other leads where the other were. He was my only option.  
  
"Fine!" I hissed, "Just buy you stupid flowers!!" He smiled,  
  
"Dey b in de back, non?" He chuckled, something was obviously funny.  
  
I hate it when something important is going one and everyone knows but me! I HATE it!!  
  
I had to humor Ice, so I followed him to the back of the store. The flower lady stood there with her permanent smile plastered to her face.  
  
"I was wondering when you two would decide to follow me!" she said with a shrill laugh. Ice guided me to where she was standing. He leaned over to me and whispered in my ear,  
  
"Est-ce que je peux vous toucher ?" I gave him a weird look,  
  
"I don't know what you just said, but toucher sounds like touch, so no. But you are welcome to rot in hell for all eternity." He smiled softly then he looked concerned.  
  
"Hear we are!" The lady said gesturing to a back door she had just unlocked door us, "Have a nice day!" She sauntered off to do whatever florists do. Ice looked to the door, then to me.  
  
"Uh, cher? Ice decide he don' want to buy fleurs anymore."  
  
"What?!? You dragged me all the way here and now you don't want flowers?!?"  
  
"Oui, now lets partez t save you whatevers." He tried to direct me away from the door that had swung open slightly. I felt a cool cross breeze escape from the cracked door. I looked at him suspiciously,  
  
"Why did you bring me here then?"  
  
"Icy just messing wid you! Now lets GO!" He turned and walked a few steps, then turned to see if I was following him, but I wasn't.  
  
"Your lying and I can tell." He made a wild grasp for my hand, but it was already on the doorknob. A blast of cold air hit my face. And instead of flowers, there was a winding staircase that led deeply into the ground. Ice put his hands over his face and groaned in French,  
  
"Ma petite fille. Elle va blesser. Elle va blesser." I ignored his ramblings and looked down the spiraled staircase. I looked up to Ice in amazement,  
  
"How did you? How did she? What?" He looked at me as if he wanted to drag me out of there kicking and screaming.  
  
"De dame de fleur b' wid misure Slade. Yellow Lilac b' de code."  
  
"That's the stupidest code I have ever heard." He looked pityingly at me,  
  
"Der is no such flower as de yellow lilac enfant stupide."  
  
"Hey you asshole! Did you just call me stupid?"  
  
"Non." He was lying and I knew it. I pushed him out of the way and prepared to go down the stairs.  
  
"Cher non, veuillez ne pas aller." He begged. I glared at him,  
  
"Nothing you can say in French or in English can stop me from helping my friends. Why do you care anyway?" He ignored my last question,  
  
"Noting Ice say non? What if Ice b' saying you... dat... you b'..." I tapped my foot impatiently. He smiled apologetically,  
  
"Ice can tink of anyting mean t' say."  
  
"Wow! That's weird! I can think of a million things for you!" I said brightly. He stepped out of my way sighing.  
  
"Ice cant do anyting t' stop you, so bonne chance, you be needing it." I stepped onto the first stair as I quietly shut the door behind me. I heard it automatically lock behind me. I heard his hesitant footsteps fade until I could hear them no longer. I crept down the stairs. Around and around, step after step. I finally reached the last step, and found myself in a dimly lit room.  
  
"Mmmph!" My head snapped around to see a faint outline lying on the floor. I crawled up to the heap on the floor. Starfire!! She squirmed on the floor, and at first I had no idea why. Then I saw that she had been bound and gagged, and had a blindfold over her eyes. I knelt beside her. She thrashed out at me, not knowing who was there.  
  
"Star, STAR! It's me! Calm down!" She immediately stopped,  
  
"Muumni?" I guess that's muffled talk for Naomi. I ripped the tape off her mouth, causing her to gasp. I then took the blindfold off her.  
  
"Naomi!! My friend! You have come to save-" I clamped my hand over her mouth.  
  
"Lets use our indoor voices." I whispered. I untied her as she whispered what I already knew. How Ice had turned them over to Slade.  
  
"Then, I felt a sharp pain in my head, then all was night!" she whispered, "Then I was lying here unable to move!" Poor Star. She can only take so much at a time. I helped her to her feet, and we ran our hands over the walls trying to find a way to the others.  
  
"I have located something!!" Stars voice whispered from the other side of the small room. I rushed over and ran my fingers over a door. I groped for a minute until I found a doorknob. I wrenched it open and was blinded by the bright light form the next room. I squinted as the intense light stung my eyes. I stepped in and paused to let my eyes adjust. Star was blinking furiously beside me; I hoped it was from the light. The room was more of a hallway, I noticed. White tile covered the ceiling and the walls reflecting all the intense light.  
  
But that's not the fun part. No, the fun part was that the hall was filled with narrow beams of red light, criss-crossing all down the hall. I bent over to inspect one of the strands of red light.  
  
"Are they inferred sensors?" I asked Star.  
  
"No, they cant be, Inferred light is invisible unless looked at by a certain lends." What is it then? I put my hand to her head and pluck a strand of deep red hair from her scalp.  
  
"Ow," she looked at me reproachfully.  
  
"If it is a sensor of some sort, chances are it wont pick up on a single strand of hair," I explain, "but be ready for anything." She let her hands and eyes glow green in response. I took the hair and held it out over the stream of light, and let it fall into the light. The smell of burning hair hit the air.  
  
"Its not a sensor, it's a laser!" I conclude. I was happy for a minute because I had found out the answer. Wait... lasers are NOT a good thing. I stood up and looked at the lasers, there was not pattern, just random. But... some once could still squeeze through it if they had to. If I had to.  
  
"What are we going to do?" wailed Star, completely forgetting about what I had said about using our indoor voices,  
  
"Our friends could be hurt or even dead!! And we can not travel to them!" She cupped her hand over her mouth in horror of the thought of them being death. I looked to the door at the end of the hall, past all the lasers. What was Slade playing at? Why did he leave Starfire out for me to find? What was his intention? Well, I won't find out just standing here.  
  
"I'll do it." I said, trying to sound cool about it. Stars hand left her face so she could hit me with it,  
  
"No! I refuse to let you go!"  
  
"Star, why did you hit me?"  
  
"I refuse!" she repeated ignoring my last question. "Fiend, please! Allow me to go in your place. I do not wish for the lasers to pierce you."  
  
"No Star, listen you need to go for help, the police, anything. But I will be the one who goes ." I said firmly. She nodded sadly, if I slipped while winding my way through the lasers... I shut my eyes, no, don't think about that.  
  
"Star go!" I said without showing any fear, if I freaked, she would as well. I couldn't show my fear, for Stars sake. She nodded and hugged me as she whirled and zipped up the stairs. I sighed and faced the stair.  
  
I took a hair tie from my backpack I had brought along and tied my hair in a tight bun so it wouldn't be damaged by the lasers. I took on cautious step over the first laser. Ok, good. I twisted around the next as I lifted my other foot over the one near the ground. I wined my way in and out, above and under.  
  
I'm ok, I thought to myself. Just then I my hand slipped an inch. I cried out in pain as the laser burned my skin. I felt like I was going to throw up, as I smelled the smell of my own burned flesh. Every instinct told me to run in panic, but I calmed my senses and pressed on, ignoring the throbbing of my hand. I arched my stomach over another laser to avoid being sliced in halve. I was almost there. I tilted my head over another stream of light.  
  
A single drop of sweat rolled down my cheek and dripped onto a laser a centimeter away from my face. The lasers flickered for a moment, and then went out. I stayed in the same position, stunned. I cautiously moved my foot into the space where a laser had been. Nothing happened. I slowly straightened up. I ran to the end of the hall as if the lasers would suddenly turn back on and slice me like baloney.  
  
Wait! I thought for a minute. These lasers burned my skin, but when into stand-by when my sweat had dropped on it.  
  
I tiled my head pondering how it had worked. It must destroy molecule chains or something, like my skin. But sweat is a liquid, and the molecules are not really connected the way solid objects are, they are held together by electrical charges. So, the lasers detected an unidentified unconnected molecule structure and when into stand-by. Wow. Studding for those finals actually help! I smiled.  
  
"Stay in school kids!" I said to no one.  
  
I directed my attention to the door. I pressed my damaged hand to my chest as I opened the door with my other. I walked in, tripping over something hard. I shot my hands down to break my fall. My wonded hand stung as the burned skin cracked and started bleeding. I swore horribly and gripped it in my other hand. I looked over my shoulder to see what I had tripped over. Cyborg! I crawled over to him.  
  
"Cyborg?" No response.  
  
"Cy? Are you... ok?" For a second a horrible thought of him being dead ran through my mind, but on a closer inspection, I realized he had just been taken off line. I breathed in relief. I punched a few random buttons, hoping to wake him up. But he didn't.  
  
"Cy! You weenie! Wake up!" I shook his shoulders. His head rolled unconcernedly all around as I shook him. I sighed. I stood up and grabbed him with my good hand and tried to drag him back to the entrance of the hallway I had just crossed. But it was no use; I couldn't drag him with only one hand. I tentative placed my hurt hand on his other shoulder.  
  
I moaned in pain as I dragged him inch by inch back down the hall where the lasers used to be. I finally reached the door where Star and I had entered. Now when Star gets back, she'll find him. I propped him up against one side of the wall limply. His head rolled to one side as his mouth sagged open. I laughed in spite of the situation.  
  
It was truly a Kodak moment. Or it would have been if I wasn't trying to rescue my friends from a mad man. Oh well. I sprinted back down the hall, leaving Cyborg. I returned to the room I had found Cy. I looked around the room for the first time.  
  
There were three different doors on three different walls. One was labeled ROBIN, one BEASTBOY, and one RAVEN. I looked at the doors; Slade was going to make me choose who was more important to me.  
  
I felt anger flair up inside me. Slade was just toying with us!! He didn't take us seriously! If he did, he would have killed us the second he got his hands on us! We were just here for his sick amusement; he loved to beat us down. My face burned in anger. I was going to save them. I am usually easily going and fun loving.  
  
But harming my friends is a line that no one would dare to cross. Unless you're crazy, then I have to beat your ass. Nobody messes with my friends. I started walking to Beastboys door, and then stopped. No, I needed Robin. He knows Slade better than all of us. He knows his tricks.  
  
"Sorry BB," I whispered as I walked to Robins door. I opened it cautiously and poked my head inside. It was pretty dark. I entered completely and saw I was standing on an elevated platform of gray stone. The floor below me was blue and glowed eerily. I looked farther into the massive room. Another elevated platform was a couple hundred feet way, on it was the blurred outline of a figure pacing back and forth, like a tiger in a cage at the zoo.  
  
"Robin!" I called. The figure stopped and looked over to me.  
  
"Naomi? Naomi!!" I laughed in relief to hear my leaders voice. I glided to his island and tacked him in relief to have found him. We sat on the platform elevated above the blue floor embracing. Well, I was more like me strangling him as he gasped for breath; minor details. I finally let go of him, and turned to the glowing floor. I had a bad feeling that it wasn't a good blue glow.  
  
"Where's Starfire?!?" he asked immediately. I smiled,  
  
"Don't worry Romeo, she's safe. I sent her to get help." I saw him relax a bit. Then he looked at me.  
  
"Don't touch the blue glowing floor," Robin commanded me.  
  
"What? But that was the first thing I wanted to do!" I whined sarcastically. He smiled briefly then explained why,  
  
"I 'm not sure what it dose, but when I threw my glove down on it, it disappeared." He held up his gloveless right arm.  
  
"Hmm that is a problem." I looked at him critical. "How are we gonna get you across wonder boy?" I asked. He shrugged. I looked at him some more. I've seen Star fly him around before, hell, she's carried Cyborg! But the people of her world are naturally stronger than earthlings.  
  
"I could try fling you," I said doubtfully.  
  
"Would you drop me?"  
  
"Most likely." I replied as I looked down at the floor. Its blue glowing reminded me of something...like... a river. Without a second thought, I lifted my hands out in front of me. The trunk of a tree exploded form my palms and laid across the entrance platform to the one Robin was stranded on.  
  
Robin without hesitation jumped on, and balanced as he walked on it to the entrance. I flew beside him, steadying him if he started slipping. His feet finally met the gray stone of the entrance. We walked out into the room with the three doors.  
  
He saw the doors with our friend's names on them. We looked to each other and nodded. We split up and I entered Ravens door as he entered Beastboys. I walked boldly into Ravens door. Nothing was going to stop me from saving my friend. I looked around the small room confusedly.  
  
Was it a trick? It was just a normal room! No glowies, or lasers or anything moderately dangerous. My eyes rested on Raven sitting limply in the middle of the room. Something was wrong, I could sense it.  
  
"Raven?" She didn't reply. I took a few steps closer.  
  
"Raven? Are you ok?" Her head hung low, and didn't reply. I put my arm on her shoulder and shook her. She fell backward, her eyes wide open and unblinking. The only thing that let me know she wasn't dead was that her mouth was moving. She was mumbling insanely.  
  
"Darkness is my mask. I hid from the light; I am the shadows that I make. Darkness is my mask. I hid from the light, I am the shadows that I make."  
  
"Raven? Sorry to interrupt your rambling, but we need to leave."  
  
"Darkness is my mask. I hid from the light, I am the shadows that I make."  
  
"Raven STOP!"  
  
"Darkness is my mask. I hid from the light, I am the shadows that I make."  
  
I slapped her with all my might, I felt her skin bruise under the force of my hand. She sat up and blinked, rubbing her face tenderly.  
  
I smiled thinking I had snapped her out of it but, alas no.  
  
She attacked me instead. She knocked me to the floor and send dark energy blasts at me. I rolled out of the way, feeling the ice-cold darkness narrowly graze my ear. I continued to dodge her blasts, not wanting to attack back.  
  
"Raven stop! PLEASE!" I cried as somersaulted out of the way of one of her attacks. She stopped attacking, but got angry.  
  
"Its not fair," she hissed suddenly.  
  
"What isn't?" I asked tentatively, trying to get to the core of her rage.  
  
"YOU get to live in the light, while I have to hide in the dark." She said accusingly. She directed another blast at me. She looked so different; her eyes were wide, and her hair was messy. Her breaths came out in short gasps. She had the look of a complete lunatic. Was this the work of Slade, or had Raven just finally snapped?  
  
"I'm trying to help you Raven," I said as calmly as possible.  
  
"Ohhh SURE you want to help me!! Of COURE you do!! Who doesn't love to build themselves up by telling me what I already know is wrong with me!!"  
  
"Raven," I said firmly, "I'm not here to tell you what is wrong with you. I am going to help you my friend, even if it means I have to kick your ass." I let water fill the enclosed room. I gasped and took to the air. I needed the water to distracted Raven, but I still didn't like it. The water raised to Ravens knees. She looked down in surprise. I took this opportunity to spring up vines from the water and bind her. But she used her powers to snap the vines.  
  
I tried to think of what else I could do, when I felt something hit me. Raven had levitated and pounced on me in mid air. I yelped as she dragged me down. I felt the water enclose me, chilling me to the bone as I thrashed, trying to get way from the water. But Ravens nails dug into my neck, forcing my head under the water. I started to panic and struggled, but Raven only dug her nails deeper, tearing at my delicate skin.  
  
I could faintly hear her yelling in above me, but her words were muffled by the water my head was under. She's going to kill me, I realized as my lungs burned for air, she's going to kill me.  
  
I opened my eyes under water, and saw her face above the water. Screaming at me. This wasn't Raven. Slade had done something to her. Suddenly a green blast filled the room. The grip on my neck loosened and someone dragged my to the surface.  
  
"Naomi!!" Starfire cried. I exploded out of the water, gasping for air. Star shot up beside me and hugged me in mid air. She started crying, but I wasn't sure why. I pulled back, and saw that she was covered in blood.  
  
"Star! Blood!" I cried, looking for an injury on her.  
  
"It is not mine, it is yours." I touched my fingers to my neck where Raven had gripped me. I pulled my fingers tips away and saw my fingers were red. I looked down to see that when Star had entered, she had left the door open, so the water had escaped. I landed on the floor and looked at Ravens unconscious body.  
  
"What happened?" Star asked tearfully.  
  
"I.....I d-d-don't know," I stammered, trying to keep control of myself, "She j-j-just attacked me." I was near tears, but you have to understand; my body roared in pain, I had nearly been suffocated by my best friend, and I was in a mad mans layer. I think I'm allowed to be just a little upset.  
  
Star hugged me again. Its weird, once you have a best friend, a lot of things don't seem important. Like I didn't care she was crying on me, and she didn't care I was bleeding on her. Friendship like that is a nice thing.  
  
Wait, Raven!! I rushed over to her and knelt beside her, and was relived to find her with a steady pulse.  
  
"I just star bolted her," Star whispered beside me uncertainly.  
  
"No, that was the right thing to do," I said quickly. I reached down to Raven and put on of her limp arm around my neck to steady her as Star did the same. Wait!  
  
"What about Slade?" I asked.  
  
"He had long since fled," Star whispered sadly. Oh, well, we'll get him next time. Right now, I just want to get my friends out of here.  
  
"And the others?" I asked as Star and I struggles to support Ravens weight as we carried her out of the room.  
  
"They have all made it outside, I did as you instructed and there are paramedics awaiting our arrival."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It must have looked pretty bad as Star, unconscious Raven, and I walked out of Flores Flowers. I was covered with blood from my hand and neck wounds, and soaked from the water. Star also had blood on her, but it was mine, not hers. And Raven was her unconscious self. Pretty shocking for the huge crowd of by stander outside with the paramedics.  
  
It looked worse than it was, but I still heard screams from the crowd of reporters and by passers. I looked to one of the ambulances and saw Beastboy wrapped up in a hospital blanket. When he saw me his mouth dropped in horror, and he yelled to Robin and Cyborg to get over there.  
  
They all looked fine, except BB had a small burn on his arm, and Robin was still gloveless. The paramedics rushed over to take Raven away, I was hesitant at first, but they promise they were only going to help her. They boys started showering me with questions, and then they saw the expression on my face and stopped.  
  
Then the crowd of reporters swallowed me whole. The cameras zoomed in on my wounds and they all started yelling questions at me. I looked around wildly, feeling overwhelmed.  
  
Starfire got pissed off her ass and screamed at them to get back. I wasn't feeling well. I feel so dizzy. Dizzy.... I think I'm going to throw up. The lights, the noises the screaming, the pain, it was all just too much.  
  
"Stop it! Just stop!" I shrieked, I sank to my knees covering my head with my hands as if trying to protect myself from the world. The cameras went crazy, not wanting to miss a second of a hero during a break down. Robin got furious and forgot about our image for a moment and started cussing out the reporters, yelling at them, telling them to leave me alone. I was a compete mess.  
  
And I was never so frightened as I was now. I don't break down. I just don't. But this was too much. I couldn't think straight. Dizzy.... So very dizzy.  
  
The reporters smelled a front-page story and pushed the others out of the way to get to me. I scrambled back trying to get away from the noise, but they closed in on all sides. My wounds throbbed, and I started to feel lightheaded because of loss of blood.  
  
I swayed dangerously, looked up weakly at the swarm of reporters towering over me. Then everything started to swirl together, and I couldn't make out individual noises. Then everything dimmed and went dark.  
  
StArRy- Awww. So sad! It was all just too much for ickle Naomi! Well, can you blame her?  
  
She got kicked out of the tower, Ice hit on her (what else it new), friends got kidnapped, got her hand burned badly, had to fight one of her best friends, almost got drowned and is a hydrophobic, and her friend hurt her. I think that qualify as a very bad day.  
  
Oh! But A couple of days ago I checked my email, seeing if I had gotten a review or two, and I found NO LESS THAN 18 reviews from Raven A Star. That just made my day for the rest of my life!! I loved your reviews by the way R.A.S.!! They cracked me up! 


	11. I didnt do it!

I woke up slowly. Why did my head hurt so badly? I sat up slowly, looking around, where was I? I heard the hum of machinery and smelled the smell of sterilizer. I was in a hospital bed.  
  
"Hello." I turned to see Starfire sitting in a red plastic chair beside my bed. I remembered what had happened. I groaned and lied back against my pillow, wishing I was still unconscious. Star blinked sleepily, and smiled sadly. What time is it? How long was I out? I looked down at my body under the covers; I was wearing a hospital shirt that trailed down to my feet.  
  
"Are you well friend?" she asked.  
  
"Um, yeah...sure. I want hurt that badly." I replied rubbing my eyes.  
  
"I was not speaking in physical terms." She smiled sadly, "You gave us all quite a fright, we have never seen you like that before."  
  
"Oh yeah... I kinda had a little break down." I said, not looking her in the eyes.  
  
"What was the cause of it?"  
  
I sighed, "I'm not really sure, a lot of thing put together... I guess. She nodded and tucked a piece of her deep red hair behind her ear.  
  
"The others!" I exclaimed suddenly.  
  
"They are all fine," Star replied calmly, "We have all undergone the medical check up procedures and we all are uninjured, and Raven has awoken a few hours ago. Though she will not speak to us."  
  
Oh... I rolled over and tried to get myself out of the bed but a sharp pain exploded through my hand. I'll see Raven later, I thought as I fell back on the pillow. It all smelled so... mediciney. I hate the smell of hospitals. It smells like sickness.  
  
"Would you like me to activate the box of television?" Asked Star gesturing to a small TV in the corner.  
  
"Probably same thing on ever channel," I said shrugging, then I thought for a moment.  
  
"Actually, Star could you turn it on for me, please?" She frowned; beginning to think that suggesting the box of television was a bad idea. But she flipped it on anyway. The news anchors we excitedly retelling the events of this morning, as images of what had happened filled the screen.  
  
"Here they come!" screamed one anchor who had been live when it has happened. A tremor tore through the crowd as Star and I hobbled out carrying Raven. Yes, it certainly looked worse than it had been. My uniform stained red and my hand cut up. But I hadn't been to horribly injure. My eyes widened as I watched my mental break down on national television. TV Naomi started shaking and keeled over, and my friends had gone ballistic. Beastboy actually swung his fist at a reporter who was trying to flip me over to get a better picture.  
  
I watched this footage with every man, woman, and child in Gothem. I felt sick. What if Ice was watching this?  
  
"Turn it off Star," I said as I struggled to my feet.  
  
"Naomi no! The healer of this medical facility specifically informed me that you are not to be in motion! You need your rest!"  
  
"I don't listen to doctors," I said dully as I put my hand on the silver doorknob, "I need to find Raven, where is she?" Star sighed, knowing that I wouldn't listen to her,  
  
"She is in the room located to the right of this one." I nodded and advanced into the hall, shutting the door behind me. I turned and looked to Ravens door, it was opened slightly and I could hear her haunting voice chanting. I pushed the door all the way open and entered. She was sitting on her bed meditating. When she noticed I had entered she stopped, but didn't look me in the eye.  
  
"I'm sorry," she mumbled as she dropped her gaze to the floor.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Everything."  
  
"Its not your fault," I assured her, "It was that bastard Slade, he made you-"  
  
"No, not that, I... I called you a bad friend. And I kicked you out of the tower. I treated you like shit. And I'm sorry. You are the best friend I have every had. The ONLY friend I have ever had. You don't act like I have a problem; you treat me like a human being. You listen to me and don't constantly remind me of my darkness like other people. And to top that, you came to rescue us single handedly, with out any doubt in your mind."  
  
"No big." I said smiling. She didn't reply. After a long silence she finally spoke again,  
  
"I am sorry I hurt you." She whispered gesturing to my injuries, "I could see myself doing it, but couldn't stop. I couldn't control myself. The voices were too strong."  
  
"What voices?" I asked curiously. She picked up a small metal mechanism from her bed stand.  
  
"Slade up this is my head somehow, it triggered memories of pain, and it drove me crazy. I started hearing things... voices, voices like my fathers." I let out a small whistle,  
  
"How did they get it in and out?" She tilted her head, and I saw a line of stitches going up one side of her head.  
  
"Oh, that is just gross. Mr. Slade, you are one sick man." I said as I looked at her stitches. She sighed and dropped her gaze back to the floor.  
  
"I'm not upset with you," I told her.  
  
"I'm upset with me."  
  
I smiled, "Come on Rae, lets go home."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I frowned and looked in the mirror. No matter how much make-up I caked on my neck, the purplish bruises shown through. Raven has one hell of a death grip.  
  
"Damn," I whispered as I tenderly wrapped a scarf around my neck.  
  
Well I don't I look like a freak, I thought. I was wearing a scarf indoors.  
  
I walked to the kitchen were everyone was sitting, waiting for me to come to supper. The tower was deathly silent. It was creepy. No talk, no laughter, no anything but tension. I sat in my usually place between Raven and Star with Beastboy right across the table from me. The others had gotten Chinese take out for me. It's my favorite, but my mouth felt dry and my stomach felt queasy.  
  
They were all being extra nice to me, and it was starting to piss me off. They were still seriously freaked by my little "episode." They all treated me like a walking time bomb. I spooned some fried rice onto my plate and glared at it. Everyone was so tense. I have to break the silence somehow.  
  
I reached out my hand and scooped up a hand full of rice from the container and threw it at Beastboy. He looked surprised as the rice hit him right in the face, but grinned and flicked his plate at me, sending food in my direction. I let it hit me right in the face. Then the air suddenly became full of food. It was immature and kind of stupid, but we needed to relive the tensions somehow.  
  
I wiped off some gravy from Cyborgs face and smeared it on Starfire, who had absolutely no idea what was going on.  
  
"Why are we battling with nutritional compounds?" she asked over Cys roar of triumph of hitting Robin with a fortune cookie.  
  
"It's a food fight!" I exclaimed as I ducked from a wanton.  
  
"A fight of food?"  
  
"Just throw it!" She delicately picked up a grain of rice and placed it daintily in my hair.  
  
"Good! Now kick it up a notch," I said as I dumped an entire container of sweet and sour soup over her head. She yelped and grabbed a dumpling and hit me in the chest with it. She grinned and finally became a part of the "food battle."  
  
Raven sat calmly telekinetically deflecting any food that came her way. She looked to me and smiled softly. I gasped as all the food stared to glow black and levitate. Every grain of rice floated onto the air right above my head. I gasped as it all came raining down on me. And I felt better.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Friend? I am confused."  
  
"What else is new Starfire?" I replied as I watched Cy kick BBs butt in a car racing video game.  
  
"That is what I long it question you of. What else is new is the arrival of a Christmas." She said as BBs car exploded.  
  
"Oh yeah, Christmas is here again, isn't it."  
  
"What is a Christmas? Is that not when the elephants and males wearing make up perform stunts to the pleasure of the audience?"  
  
"No, that's the circus remember? No Christmas is a holiday on this planet," I smiled knowing how much Star loved "the select days of rejoice" as she called them.  
  
"Oh really?!? What is it in celebration of?" She asked excitedly.  
  
"Well, according to legend, a looooong time ago, a Shepard was attending his flock of sheep. Then he saw a star in the sky so bright, he followed it until he came to a barn. And in the barn were three wise men. They were upset because they were in hiding and had a lamp, but not enough oil for it to last more than a day. But amazingly, the oil lasted for eight days! Then baby Jesus and Santa Clause came down the chimney and gave presents to everyone! Then Adam Sandler sang the Hanukah song."  
  
"Wow! Really?"  
  
"Yup!"  
  
"Star don't listen to her," Robin said sighing, "She's just trying to confuse you."  
  
"Star, the story isn't important," I said quickly, "The only thing that you need to know about Christmas is that you buy lots and lots of presents for me."  
  
"Presents for everyone," Robins said smiling.  
  
"Ha! I beat you! I win! Now you owe me fifty bucks!" Cyborg crowed. Beastboys ears drooped sadly as he gave his money to Cyborg. Poor guy.  
  
"What's wrong with my little elfy?" I asked as I sat down on him.  
  
"Nothing, now get off!" he said smiling  
  
"You. Are. Such. A. Weenie." I replied one word at a time. I slid off him and sat on the floor. Then I remembered something,  
  
"Oh, you guys! I just remembered, I singed us up for some charity work tomorrow. Its at the mall, so we can do our Christmas shopping afterwards."  
  
"What did you sign us up for?" asked BB suspiciously. I just smiled sweetly.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I laughed as I turned on the TV. I know Robin tells us not to watch ourselves on TV, but this time it was just too funny too miss. I flipped to channel 34 and put a blank tape in the VCR and pressed record.  
  
"And in further news, the Titans have brought the spirit of Christmas to children all over Gothem last Monday through their charity work. Joanna Houtman has more on this story. Over to you Joe." The screen changed to another reporter.  
  
"Thanks Gina!" A dark skinned reporter with very white teeth exclaimed, "I am inside the Gothem Mall and as you can see behind me, the TTs brought the seasonal spirit to our city!"  
  
I laughed out loud as the camera focused on- "Santa's Castle!" the reporter exclaimed proudly, "Naomi? A quick word with you for channel 34 news!" I looked up and walked to the reporter. I had been wearing black boots and gloves, and my red velvet skirt had a big black belt with a silver buckle on the found. I wore a red tank top that matched my velvet skirt and I also sported a Santa hat.  
  
"Shhh! I'm not Naomi! I'm Mrs. Clause!" I informed the reporter. She laughed a fake laugh that flashed all her teeth at once. Starfire came cautiously up behind me. She was wearing a brown full body suit with black "hoofs" at the end of the sleeves and feet. And if that wasn't good enough, she also had plastic antlers and a red clown nose.  
  
"I do not know why I am required to wear this ridiculous outfit!" she whined.  
  
"But Star! Rudolf is the most important aspect of Christmas! Besides, you knocked my make up in the toilet this morning, remember?"  
  
"Oh... yes."  
  
"How soon we forget."  
  
"So where is Raven?" the reporter asked. Rudolf and I exchanged glances.  
  
"Ummm, she couldn't come... she's..."  
  
"..ill!!"  
  
"Yes! She is very sick!" It was lame, but we couldn't tell the truth, Raven just "doesn't do" Christmas. I changed the subject away from Raven,  
  
"Oh! Oh! Wait until you see BBs costume! Its sooooofunny!" I looked around for my little green chum.  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"He's humiliated," Star explained, "He believes himself to look of a "Freaking gay fag."  
  
"What? No way!" I rushed to find Beastboy. Star gazed into the camera.  
  
"I normally do not wear this apparel," she informed the reporter, just incase there was any doubt. You could hear BB and my voices in the distance.  
  
"Come on Beastboy! You look adorable!"  
  
"Nooooo! I look stupid!" Then I dragged Beastboy into view of the screen. He was wearing elf shoes with bells on the tip of the toe and green tights; he wore a tight green shirt under a festive red vest. He looked miserable.  
  
"I'm Santa little helper," he said lamely.  
  
"Awww! Isn't he the cutes thing!" I asked the camera person who was laughing his ass off. I smiled, knowing if I was embarrassing BB by calling him cute.  
  
"By "cute" I'm SURE you mean manly and rugged!" Santa's little helper exclaimed defensively.  
  
"Whatever!" I said as I hugged him, which made him smile a little bit.  
  
"So, where Robin?" asked the reporter. I pointed to the long line of children waiting outside "Santa's Castle", where robin was keeping the kids in order.  
  
"And... what is he exactly?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"He's a gingerbread security officer!" I explained exasperatedly. People can be so stupid. He was wearing a brown shirt that had been painted to look like candy and frosting. He also wore a police officers hat to prove his authority. He looked up to us and waved.  
  
"He's our candy man." I said to the reporter slyly. Just then Santa Cyborg came out of his castle.  
  
"Yo, Mrs. Clause." He said punching my arm playfully, "Can you take over my shift, I gotta get something to eat."  
  
"Sure thing, Santa!" The cameras followed me to the castle and I sat down in a big soft chair beside a basket of candy canes.  
  
"You go in," Robin said, directing a very cute little girl up to me. She scrambled on to my lap and glared at me.  
  
"Your not Santa." She reported critically.  
  
"No, but I'm his wife, now, may I take your order?"  
  
"I want a pony." She said seriously.  
  
"A toy pony?"  
  
"NO!! A real pony! And she has to be pink."  
  
"A real pink pony. We'll see what we can do," I said, feeling very bad for whoever was the owner of this child. A real pink pony. There were going to be water works on Christmas morning. I gave the girl a candy cane and sent her out. The next kid rushed past an exasperated Robin.  
  
"Weeee! I get to see SANTA!" squealed Beastboy in a high-pitched voice. I laughed as he wrapped his arms around my neck and sat on my lap and crossed his legs in a very girlish fashion.  
  
"What do you want?" I asked rolling my eyes. He grinned coyly and leaned up and started whispering his request in my ear. My eyes widened in shock.  
  
"BEASTBOY!!" I shrieked and I pushed him off my lap. He laughed like a lunatic as he bolted out of the castle.  
  
"You PERVERT!!" I shrieked after him, "There are little kids in here!!" He stuck his head back in,  
  
"What about my candy cane?" He asked grinning. I threw it at him,  
  
"Here take it and shove it up your-"I paused, looking at all the innocent faces of the youth.  
  
"Umm shove it up your...nose." I heard Robin yelling at BB from outside, yelling about soiling our image. Then the little girl from before walked back it, but this time with a little boy.  
  
"This is my little brother Joey." She told me.  
  
"Oh, well send him up!" I said cheerfully. He ducked behind his sister.  
  
"He's scared of you."  
  
"Scared of me? No way!" She pushed him up onto my lap.  
  
"So young man, what would you like Santa to bring you for Christmas?" I asked cheerfully. He stared at me and his pale blue eyes widened and he stared screaming bloody murder. I threw my hands up in the air.  
  
"I didn't do it! I didn't do it!" I yelled over his screaming.  
  
"So, as you can see, the titans have restored the seasonal spirit," the reporter said nervously to the camera man, "Back to you Gina." I laughed as I turned off the TV. Memories like that will last a lifetime.  
  
StArRy- I am soooo sorry! I haven't updated for like ever! I was busy all this week helping my boyfriend study for a huge test! His English is really limited, so he had to come over every day so I could help him with it. But we always got (ahm) distracted. So it's all his fault! He he he he! ^__~ 


	12. the lotus

I walked up to my bedroom to wrap the presents I had bought for my friends last Monday at the mall. The other had long since wrapped their presents and put them under the tree, but being the procrastinator I am, I waited until the night before Christmas. I took out colorful wrapping paper and frowned.  
  
The other had used up all the Christmassy paper, and all that was left was "Happy Birthday!" and "It's A Girl!" wrapping paper. Oh well. I started wrapping anyways.  
  
I had gotten Beastboy a poster with two deer humping in the forest, I also had gotten a green marker and shaded one of the deer green. I had also written on the bottom of the poster,  
  
"Since you cant get any in your human form." He's going to love it!  
  
I then took out the plush snowball for Starfire. When you clapped your hands, it started to shake and sing, "rocking around the Christmas tree."  
  
Ravens gift was a porcelain figurine of the Dark angel of Death. I put a little Christmas hat on the top of its head, though.  
  
I giggled as I reached for Robins gift, a blow up sex doll. I originally was going to get him smiley-faced boxers, but I couldn't resist buying him the doll.  
  
So I am giving Cyborg the boxers instead.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"What the hell?!?" yelped BB as I pulled him into the closet.  
  
"Shhhh!" I hissed putting my index finger to my lips.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked as I shut the closet door. I smiled at him,  
  
"My dear Beastboy, do you not agree that tomorrows Christmas is going to be a very dull affair indeed?"  
  
"Oh, I heartily agree! Do you have an idea to spice up the occasion?"  
  
"That I do, friend, that I do." I smiled coyly, "Now, if I am not mistaken, have we not pranked everyone in the tower but Star?"  
  
"Wait... have we pranked Robin?"  
  
"Yeah, remember, we baked those "chocolate chip cookies" for him, but instead of chocolate we put chunks of laxatives."  
  
"Oh yeah, that was funny."  
  
"Now," I explained to him, "A practical joke isn't funny when you are the only one person knows about it, but it also ruined it if EVERYONE knows about it. So I formally invite you in on the joke." He saluted me.  
  
"Ok, here's the plan," I said as I pulled out a colorfully wrapped present I had take out from under the tree earlier,  
  
"This is Stars present to Robin." I carefully peeled the paper back and opened the brown box underneath. Inside was- "An adorable framed picture of Star and Robin at the carnival" I announced, "So we take out the picture and fill the box with...condoms." I pulled out my box of latex condoms and started to fill the present box with them.  
  
"Why do you have so many condoms?" Asked BB suspiciously.  
  
"I like to fill them with water and throw them at people," I replied calmly, "Its like a water balloon only funnier...because there condoms." BB laughed as I finished stuffing the box, then he found the card Star had written to go along with the present. It read  
  
"Robin- Thank you for teaching me about Earth!" He grinned slyly as he pulled out a pen and added so words to the innocent card. It now read-  
  
"Robin- I WANT to thank you for teaching me about Earth!" I smiled; this was going to be great! Suddenly the door to the closet flew open.  
  
"What are you two doing?" Asked Raven, narrowing her eyes.  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked playing dumb.  
  
"All I know is that you and Beastboy are in a closet giggling with the door shut, and there are condom wrappers on the ground."  
  
Beastboys face turned bright red. But I stayed cool,  
  
"This is our selective club house Raven, and your not invited." I slammed the door shut.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Merry first Christmas Crusty!" I sang as I petted his head. I tried to put on his little Christmas hat I had made out of paper, but he was tying to eat it.  
  
"Friends! Come join me in the circle of Christmas friendship!" I dropped Crusty back in his tank and let him eat the paper hat. I joined the "Circle of Christmas Friendship" on the floor.  
  
The tower looked spectacular! Star had decided that it was up to her to decorate the tower. Garlands hung over every surface and lights lit up every corner. And mistletoe hung over every doorway, which I learned could be a problem when you're walking with Beastboy. We sat in our circle opens presents in turn. Star almost handed her present to Robin, but I stopped her just in time.  
  
"Lets save best for last Star," I said sweetly.  
  
Beastboy LOVED his present, he promised to think of me whenever he saw two deer humping. I am so honored.  
  
Star loved her snowball so much she keep it singing for and hour before Raven threatened to shove it in her eye socket. Star quickly decided she had had enough of the snowball.  
  
Cy and Robin were, um, speechless by their presents.  
  
Raven didn't thank my for my present, but gave me a sort of hug. She just banged her arm on my back, but it was nice anyways.  
  
My presents were as the following; a complete makeover kit from Starfire, a dark poetry book from Raven, a sweatshirt that said, "I love Dorks" from Cy and Robin, but BBs present was the best by far.  
  
He had got ten dollars worth of quarters and had gone to the quarter machines in the grocery store and had gotten me a huge bag of junk from it. I laughed and hugged him. Then Robin reached out and snatched Stars present from the tree.  
  
BB and my eyes met. Robin opened the box and pored out the contents on the floor.  
  
"Oh my FUCKING GOD!!!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Two weeks after Christmas and Starfire had FINALY forgiven me. I sat on the sofa reading out of the dark poetry book I had gotten from Raven. I put it down, feeling depressed. I walked to the kitchen where Star was attempting to bake a cake.  
  
"I'm depressed, I need a cookie," I announced as I stared pawing through the pantry.  
  
"Friend, I have combined the correct ingredients for the creation of the pastry, and placed it in the oven, but it will not cook."  
  
"You gotta turn on the oven hun," I said rolling my eyes.  
  
"Oh!" she turned on the oven, and then got a weird look on her face. She sat down next to me.  
  
"So, do you not have a date with Ice?" she asked cautiously.  
  
"Its NOT a date!!! Its BLACKMAIL!!" I exclaimed at my defense.  
  
"When is it," she asked absentmindedly.  
  
"I don't know, like tomorrow or something, he left a note on the door saying something like that." Star was the only person I had told about the deal I had made with Ice, the others would get mad or think I was being stupid  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Everyone here is older than me, I thought miserable as I looked around the club. Ice directed me to a table near the bar. He pulled out my chair for me and made a gesture towards it. I glared at him and pulled out my own chair and star down.  
  
"You b' wanting sometinng t' drink?" he asked.  
  
"No, I don't drink," I said firmly. There is NO WAY in hell he's going to get me tipsy and take advantage of me.  
  
"I'll have the vodka," Ice told the bartender.  
  
"You aren't old enough to drink," I told him suspiciously.  
  
"Dey don' care as long as Ice pay de money." He grinned as he let his eyes run over the full length of my body. I was wearing tight blue jeans and a light pink tank top.  
  
"Stop eye molesting me!" I hissed. I then hid my face hopping no one would recognize me. Ice laughed,  
  
"You b' wanting t' dance?"  
  
"No."  
  
He looked disappointed and downed halve of his drink.  
  
"Dis going t' b' a loooong night." He sighed.  
  
"Excuse me?! I'm the one being forced to be here! Don't you be complaining!!" He smiled and leaned over to me  
  
"Voulez faire des couches ?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at me. I slapped him.  
  
"Hey! You don' even know what Ice said!"  
  
"I don't care." He smiled and kept whispering French in my ear. I stood up to walk away from him, but he griped my wrist and made me fall into his lap.  
  
"Voulez enlever l'habillement ?" I pushed him away, but he just grinned with a sparkle in his gray eyes. I need to piss him off! I don't care how! I just want to wipe that goddamn smirk off his face!  
  
I noticed a cute collage boy on the other side of the dance floor. He looked my direction and smiled. That's it! I smiled back and winked at him.  
  
"Who you b' winking at cher?"  
  
"I'm not winking," I replied, "You just so ugly its making my eyes hurt." He laughed as if I was the most entertaining thing he had ever seen. But he quickly stopped when the boy I had winked at came over to me.  
  
"What to dace?" he asked me.  
  
"Non homme, she don" Ice said, glaring daggers at the guy.  
  
"Of course I do!" I replied sliding off Ices lap to join the boy.  
  
"Sacrebleu! Cher! What are you doing?!?" Ice cried in frustration.  
  
"Dancing," I replied calmly, knowing he was getting mad as hell. I smiled as the boy led me to the dance floor. He was like, five years older than me, but who cares?  
  
"Do you know that guy?" he asked me.  
  
"Unfortunately," I replied, knowing that Ice could still hear me. I heard him mutter in French and down the rest of his drink. And then, and I do not regret this,  
  
I dirty ass grinded with the collage boy. It was REALLY dirty. I had never done it before, but I couldn't resist when I saw Ices eyes widen in rage. His eyes looked anything but cool and under control. This only encouraged me and I made it wore. I don't think we were even dancing anymore! More like foreplay!! When the song was over the guy leaned over to me,  
  
"So babe girl, can I get you number? Or do you just want to come home with me now?" I never got to turn him down because someone garbed my arm.  
  
"Time t' go, little girl," Ice hissed in my ear. Then he turned to glare the guy.  
  
"Si vous touchez jamais ma fille encore, je vous tuerai," he whispered dangerously to him. The guy just stared.  
  
"Dat b' French for 'if you ever b' touching Ices fille again, Ice kills you'. Allez à l'enfer." Then he practical dragged me out of the club.  
  
"What were you tinking?!? Can't you see dat homme a pervert? Sacrebleu! Trying t' score wid Ices little fille! What were you doing?!?"  
  
"You told me I had to go to the club with you," I explained calmly, "That doesn't mean I was WITH you." Ice sighed and turned to look at the sign above the club door.  
  
"The Lotus huh."  
  
"Oui, in de story de Odyssey, de locus was a beautiful flower dat grew on one of de islands. If anyone were t' take a bite from de lotus flower, he would forget of everting. He would only b' able t' tink of de flower, and he would never b' able t' leave it." He turned to me and smiled,  
  
"You b' bit of a lotus yourself, cher."  
  
"And you're a bit of an idiot." He smiled and shook his head,  
  
"You b' wanting t' go t' see a movie wid Ice?" I shook my head,  
  
"No, you said I had to go to the club with you, and by the looks of things, our outing is over. I completed the deal and I never want to see you again." I turned to leave. "You better not get into anymore trouble Ice." I commanded.  
  
He laughed as if that was the craziest jest he had ever heard.  
  
"I'm serious!" I yelled whirling around to face him, "The next time you fuck up, I'm not going to be there to haul you ass out of trouble!! The next time you fuck up really bad, your going to a jail you can't escape from!" He tilted his head and smiled at me as if he hadn't heard a world I just said.  
  
"Bonne nuit, my little lotus." He reached out and grasped my hand and kissed the back of it. I wiped his kiss off on the back of my jeans. He actually looked hurt this time.  
  
"You b' needin Ice t' walk you home?"  
  
"I'm a big girl, I can get home myself without an escort." I rose into the night air and sailed back to the tower.  
  
StArRy- Hmmmmm! Very interesting. But anyway, I got an email from a guy at F.F. net and he asked if he could borrow two of my characters for one of his stories. So I granted him permission, I'll give you more details on that later. In the mean time... REVIEW!! 


	13. Movies and concerts

"You not going in that," Raven said bluntly. I looked down at my outfit, unable to see what was wrong. I was wearing, a light purple spaghetti strap top and tight blue jeans.  
  
"What's wrong with my clothes?" I asked bewilderedly. Raven sighed.  
  
"This is an Ebony concert, Naomi. If you go dresses all preppy like that, you'll be a violence magnet. Even I want to beat you up."  
  
"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically, "That Raevy, what a pal."  
  
"Here," she said with a faint smile, "At least wear a black one." She reached into her dark closet and pulled out a black spaghetti strap top. I pulled off my purple on and dropped it to the floor as I pulled on Ravens black one. She looked away, embarrassed by my lack of modesty.  
  
"Oh come on Raven! I'm wearing a bra!" I smirked as I smoothed the shirt out over my stomach.  
  
"Ok! Naomi is ready to go listen to dark music and NOT get her ass kicked!" We chatted excitedly about Ravens favorite band as we head out the door to the concert.  
  
"I heard at their last concert in Tearu, they stripped on stage!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"Will they do it this time?"  
  
"I hope so!"  
  
"Were are you two going?" asked Star who was sitting on the sofa.  
  
"Concert," Raven replied dully.  
  
"May I accompany the both of you?"  
  
"No," Raven replied firmly.  
  
Star looked hurt. I glared at Raven for a second. Then I turned to Starfire,  
  
"Well, Starfire, we only have two tickets..."  
  
"Oh... yes, I see." Star replied sadly. Raven tugged on my arm,  
  
"We're going to miss it!" she hissed. I looked over to Star, who was looking to the floor sadly. I rushed over and gave her a quick hug,  
  
"Don't worry Star, we'll do something special tomorrow, just the two of us." She smiled at me faintly then Raven pulled me out the door.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Wow! I have never seen so many guys in black lipstick and eyeliner before! They all gave me shifty looked and stalked off into the shadows. I stayed close to Raven for protection.  
  
"Stop clinging on my arm, Naomi!"  
  
"Sorry!" We slowly made our way to our seats. They were actually REALLY good seats, third row center. I'm not crazy about gothic music, but I didn't want Raven to go alone, who knows what I might miss out on. I sat down and looked up and saw a familiar face.  
  
"Hey Raven," Seth drawled dully.  
  
"I told him we were coming," Raven explained to me.  
  
"Ohhhh! I seeeeee!" I sang shrilly, "Hiiiiii Sethhhhhh!" He just looked at me blankly.  
  
"Why doesn't he talk to me?" I whined to Raven.  
  
"He hates you."  
  
WHAT? What did I do?!?! Is it cause I wear too colorful clothes? Is it cause I'm blond? I leaned over to him and stuck my tongue out at him. And to my surprise, he did the same.  
  
"You are stupid." I informed him.  
  
"And you a blond."  
  
"Aha! It IS because I'm blonde!!" Raven smirked and raised a hand between us.  
  
"I don't want to be breaking up any fights." I nodded, but flipped Seth off, and then he made an even ruder gesture back at me.  
  
"Uh!" I made a disbelieving noise, "How rude!" Then to my surprise he smiled and reached over Raven and patted me on the head like I was some sort of dog! So I acted of a dog and bit down on his hand. He calmly jerked his hand from my jaws and inspected the teeth marks.  
  
"Raven? Your friend bit me." He said calmly.  
  
"Tattle tail," I muttered, but hid a smile. Then Ebony entered the stage. It was cool, I guess. Lots of smoke and light effects. But then, just as I was getting board, the band members reached down and started undoing their pants. I squealed and looked to Raven, who replied my holding up her camera.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I couldn't stop giggling as I looked over the freshly developed pictures. Raven and I couldn't wait to get them developed so we went to a one-hour photo shop and got them developed immediately. It was like 11:00 before we got home.  
  
"What are you chickies giggling about?" asked Beastboy curiously.  
  
"Ohhhh, nothing." I said innocently, obviously shifting the pictures in my hand to annoy him.  
  
"Let me see!" Beastboy whined, reaching for the pictures I held them out of his reach.  
  
"Awww, please? What is it?"  
  
"Nothing you haven't seen before," I said seriously. And I giggled as Raven and I climbed the stairs to my room to divide up the pictures between us.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I held true to my word and the next day Starfire and I went to the movies. The movie was called "Frost" and was about a space ship captain who was stranded on one of Jupiter's frozen moons. Star bounced happily to our seats, spilling out popcorn. We sat down and started giggling about how cute the actor in the movie was. Suddenly I felt two hands clamp around my eyes.  
  
"Guess who, little girl!"  
  
"Oh god! Did I die and go to hell?" I moaned, ripping his hands off my eyes.  
  
"No, It is just Ice." Star replied, looking confused.  
  
"Yeah, that makes it hell Star, or should I say; Dats why it b' makin it hell, bella." Ice laughed at my pathetic attempt to make fun of his accent. Star glared at him, I had told her about our "date" at the club, and decided that Ice is the scum of the Earth. Which is very true. And not to mention that she most certainly did not forgotten about how Ice had handed her over to Slade about a month ago.  
  
"May we assist you?" she asked coldly. And trust me, for Starfire, that's all out ferocious.  
  
"Icy b' here t' watch de movie." Ice said shrugging, "Dere not noting wrong wid dat."  
  
"Ok," I said agreeable, "You can watch "de movie" waaaaaay over there!" Thank god for the 13-year-old boy sitting in the seat next to me. But Ice must have decided he didn't want to sit waaaaaay over there, he wanted to sit right over here.  
  
"Dat would b' Ices seat," he commanded the boy in the seat next to me.  
  
"Why?" the boy asked, looking up defiantly up to Ice. Bad idea on the boys part. Ice pulled him up in the air by his collar.  
  
"Because Icy say so," he said calmly and threw the boy to the ground. He landed with a thump and scrambled off to find a quieter seat. Ice took his seat and flashed me a crooked smile, as if he wanted me to be impressed me his behavior.  
  
"Ice told you we would b' seeing a movie togeter."  
  
"I'm NOT here with you, I'm here with Starfire."  
  
"Ohhhh! Icy would like t see dat!" he said wiggling his eyebrows, suggesting that Star and I were lesbians. What a pervert!! I grabbed my cold soda and pored it right down the crotch of his pants. He yelped as the icy cold drink hit "there".  
  
"Dat wasn't very nice cher!"  
  
"I know, that's why I did it." Then I frowned; Ice wasn't really doing anything against the law. He had every right to be here. I sighed,  
  
"Just ignore the jackass Star." She nodded then the lights dimmed and the movie started. It was actually a good movie, but it was kinda hard to concentrate when Ice made sexual moaning noises every time anything frozen entered the screen. I ducked down in humiliation as peopled began to stare and whisper at us.  
  
"Do you mind?!?!" I whispered, absolutely mortified. His face twisted into a grin in the shadows,  
  
"What can Icy say? Ice b' Ices ting." Then an entire frozen wasteland entered the screen and Ice fell to the floor and pretended to have an orgasm. Star looked discussed,  
  
"Come on friend! Let us leave him to his "sickness". She grabbed my hand and stormed out of the movie, hiding our faces so no one would recognize us. I blinked as we stepped into the light of the hall outside the movie, while Star spluttered angrily.  
  
"He! He! He destroyed our girl time! And he caused others to stare at us when he pretended to moan of sexual satisfaction!!" I walked with her letting her ramble on, until I felt someone watching me. I looked over my shoulder and saw Ice. He was leaning up against the wall coolly, drinking a soda. He waved at me and I made the hand gesture at him I had recently learned from my very good friend Seth. Ice put one hand on his hip and covered his mouth with the other, like a distraught cheerleader.  
  
"Come on Star, let's go where he won't."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"The lingerie section of The Feather."  
  
StArRy- Ok, I know I've been getting reviews like- "What the hell is wrong with that Ice guy?!?!" But let me assure you, he's supposed to be like that. It is his character to not really know how to act around Naomi.  
  
He was originally just going to be in that one kidnap chapter, but then I thought he tied in nicely with the rest of my story. But now he's a major character and is almost in every chapter. But what do you guys think?  
  
Too much Ice?  
  
Just right?  
  
Not enough Ice? (ha! Yeah right!)  
  
But seriously, do you guys think he's a good contrast character and should stay a major part of the theme? Because trust me, there is A LOT more Ice in later chapters. You guys are the readers! Tell me what you want!! Well, sorry this is a short chapter, but I'm saying I'm doing my homework right now, and I'm not! Hehehe! ^_~  
  
I better actually do school works before I'm found out! 


	14. de' trill

Ok Ice, time to find out more about your life. I was back at the police station, sitting in front a computer. The station has a huge database concerning every crime, suspicion, and misdemeanor recorded in the past hundred years.  
  
I opened a new search and entered the keyword French, ice, and frozen. I gasped in shock when Ices picture popped up more than fifteen times!! Each had a different name and identity under it.  
  
A Peru hotel was frozen by a "Tomas Johnson". An England jewelry shop was robbed of $23,000 after the locks were frozen and broken by "Robert Errin". The list when on and on! Shops, stores, banks... Ices record wasn't clean.  
  
I scrolled down to the earliest record of Ice as possible. I looked at the picture, he was just a boy! The caption below the picture was a small caption.  
  
"Giovanni Montell is a fugitive who grew up in southern Paris. He was reported a run away from age 13 and has created several identities for himself, making it increasingly harder to track him down. His usual crimes included using his ice forming mutation to cause chaos, though he rarely steals any items. Giovanni's where abouts are still unknown, but he was last reported seen by Gothems police, but he escaped before he was correctly identified."  
  
Icy's been a bad boy. I looked down a little farther; he was wanted in 3 countries and 7 states in America. I looked into his charming face on the screen of the computer. He looked so innocent... so... incapable of doing any wrong.  
  
I guess that's what makes him so dangerous. I narrowed my eyes thoughtfully, I had never thought of him as dangerous before. Annoying and horny yes, but not dangerous. Looks can be so deceiving. "Giovanni," I sighed, "The next time you fuck up will be your last."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Finally! I had some alone time!! The others had gone to some alien convention thingy. Different races bring exotic animals and plants from their home plants. Even Raven wanted to check out the brain-eating slugs, but I needed some solitary time. I was all-alone in the big tower. Thank god!  
  
I pulled out the makeover in a box Starfire had gotten me for Christmas.  
  
I do believe I was ready (I glanced at the writing one the box) 'To become an entirely new person with make over in a box!'  
  
"Well box, you better not be lying to me," I told the writing on the box.  
  
I changed into my comfiest pajamas and took out the contents of the box. I first smeared some green masque from a tube and rubbed it all over my face. It smelled like avocado mint. It tingled as it penetrated my pores in deep cleansing. Next I squeezed a grapefruit smelling clear gel into my hands and combed it through my hair, I think it was like to make your hair stronger and shinier. I don't know I didn't read the label. I put my hair into a tight bun so my hair could absorb the gel.  
  
I walked to the living room and turned on the T.V. and plopped down on the sofa to wait for my masque to dry. I picked up the manicure set and trimmed and buffed my nails.  
  
Next I took out a sparkly pink nail polish I had stolen from Starfire and pained my nails. I laid back and watched some idiotic reality show. It was like where people switched lives for a day, only with aliens from other galaxies.  
  
I continued watching even though my masque had long sine dried and had become very hard. The people on the show acted like EVERYTHING was the end of the world!!  
  
"I j-just c-c-cant d-do it anymore!" then the lady who had been sent to work on Yil farm broke down crying. I rolled my eyes. If only I had such problems.  
  
Ring! Ring! I groped for the telephone, not taking my eyes off the crying lady on the screen.  
  
"Elo?" I said, without moving my lips so I wouldn't crack my hard face masque.  
  
"Hello, is this the Teen Titans?"  
  
"Un ofh den."  
  
"This is urgent... and is there something wrong with you voice?"  
  
"Nuh."  
  
"Well anyway, the Ice guy is at it again." My eyes widened. "He had frozen a bank, I have already sent the rest of the Titans over, but you should go as well.  
  
"Ota. Die." I slammed the phone down. I rolled back my head in frustration. Ice, couldn't you stay out of trouble for just ONE day?!?!  
  
Lifted my head and looked at my reflection in one of the windows. Maybe I should wash my face of the green masque before I leave.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I landed on the ground outside of the bank. It glittered with ice. I heard someone swearing in French. I turned to see the rest of the team leading a handcuffed Ice to a police car.  
  
"Ice!!" I yelled in frustration. He looked up to me and grinned innocently.  
  
"Sorry cher, Ice couldn't help himself."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"But Ice," I said calmly massaging my temples, "Why did you do it? You didn't even TRY to rob the bank. If not for the money, what for?" He leaned in very close to me.  
  
"For de trill." He replied softly.  
  
"Oooh I sure!" I said sarcastically, "Icy b' de man! He ices banks and causes all sorts of chaos! Then what?!? What do you do when you lie in bed after the mayhem when you don't have a stupid hoe to distract you from your thoughts? After the high of the thrill? Then what is you life? Then who are you?"  
  
He stared at me as if he was seeing me for the first time.  
  
Then he looked sad, "Den de darkness come."  
  
"Chaos is just a drug for you. Just a way to get away from your problems." He continued to stare at me.  
  
"Dat be right." He said amazedly. I guess no one has ever really cared how he thought or felt before.  
  
"How did you know dat cher?" I rolled my eyes.  
  
"I can see right through you Giovanni." I said as I slid out of the car. I looked back to see him stunned. It must have been years since anyone has called him by his real name. I watched the police officers give him an all day tranquilizer shot.  
  
He swayed in the car and looked at me with his eyes unfocused. He weakly reached out his hand as if he was trying to touch me, then he fell backwards in the seat. As the car pulled away I walked over to join my friends who were enthralled at the final capture of Ice. Beastboy spotted me.  
  
"Hey Naomi!! We WON!!" he jumped up to give a high five to Cyborg, quite a jump for little green.  
  
"They are talking him to a solitary confinement facility where his ability of water crystallizing will be powerless." Star told me.  
  
"How are they going to do that?" I asked.  
  
"I don't know, I wasn't listening," BB replied. Typical.  
  
"Lets celebrate!!" exclaimed Cy happily. There was a nod of agreement from everyone in the group but me. For some reason...I just didn't fell like celebrating. No one noticed but Star.  
  
She gave me a questioning look, but I mouthed "I'll talk to you later." As the others chatted excitedly about they're celebration plans.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I sighed and rubbed the big red welt on my arm. The others, cough cough BOYS, decided that the only appropriate way to celebrate such an occasion was to go "old fashioned paintballing."  
  
We just have easily gone no contact laser tag, but no, where's the fun in that? So there we were, boys vs. girls.  
  
The boys went all commando on us and starting using military tactics on us. But I guess military tactics must be better than I suspected because they kicked our asses. But it wasn't really fair, because I let myself lose.  
  
And Raven thought the whole idea was stupid, and shot herself so she wouldn't have to play anymore. And Starfire thought it was a terrible concept to shot each other, even if it was just balls of paint. So we lost. I walked into the kitchen where Cy, Robin and BB were celebrating their victory with potato chips.  
  
"Ah! Our fallen adversary!" BB exclaimed grinning.  
  
"But at least they fell with dignity," Cy said saluting me. I forced a smirked and saluted him back. I dug around in the fridge, but for some reason I wasn't hungry. But I should be hungry; I argued with myself, I haven't eaten all day. But nothing appealed to me. Not even fruit snacks.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I shook my head as I watched the stupid boys pack up the T-car. Ever since I had told them about the reality show "Survivor" from my time, they have been dying to try to go survive in the wilderness. Raven stepped beside me.  
  
"I'll give them a day."  
  
"I'll give them eleven minutes." I smiled and looked to her,  
  
"How much do you want to bet Cy and Robin gang up and eat Beastboy when they realize that the forest doesn't have a fridge?"  
  
We waved top them as the car sped out of view. I looked to Raven and gave her a high five.  
  
"Yes!! All girl tower!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Tell me friends, what shall we do while the males are gone?" I thought for a moment.  
  
"Oh! Oh! Oh! I know! We could all walk around the tower in our bras! Couldn't do that when the guys were here, could we?"  
  
In the end, we decided to just rent movies. But we made the VERY fatal mistake of letting Raven go to the movie store and rent the movies of her choice.  
  
When she returned she was surprised to see Star and I sitting on the sofa with green face masques on and grapefruit smelling gel in out hair. I looked up from painting Stars toe nails,  
  
"What movie did you get?"  
  
"Opal," she replied unconcernedly as she popped the tape into the VCR.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I let out a small moan of horror as tears pored from Stars eyes, wetting her face masque. Raven had a stupid grin plastered to her face as the monster graphically crushed the mans head open.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I. Will. Never. Sleep. Again." I vowed one word at a time, while the graphic images of the Opal were fresh in my mind. Star sat on my bed in my room and nodded her head. Suddenly she looked up to me.  
  
"Friend? Why do you pace so?" I looked down to my active feet. I hadn't even realized I was pacing. I sat down on the bed next to Starfire. She turned to me.  
  
"Friend Naomi? I must question you of something of colossal important. And you must promise to be truthful." I nodded, wondering what it was.  
  
"Naomi, do you ever... think of Beastboy much?"  
  
"Not... really..."  
  
"Do you think of his body?" she pressed.  
  
"Star! He's my best guy friend!" I exclaimed absolutely horrified.  
  
"Seriously, imagine you and him in a relation shop."  
  
Hesitantly, I shut my eyes and pictured BB and me as a couple. Us going to the movies, Valentines Day, dances, everything couples do.  
  
"Tell me, how dose it seem?"  
  
"Just ... boring."  
  
"Hmmm," she sighed thoughtfully, "Well, that is all for now friend." She glided off my bed and quietly shut the door behind me. I glanced to my clock, 7:36. I got out of my bed and grabbed my latest Glitter Girl magazine.  
  
I was amusing myself by drawing penises on all the supermodels when my communicator when off. I smiled, assuming it was the boys, already defeated on their man vs. nature expedition. I was surprised to see a complete strangers face when I flipped it open.  
  
"Um... hi," I said uncertainly.  
  
"This is special agent Calvin from the Dangerous Alien and Mutant Solitary Confinement Facility." He said curtly, "And we have a habitual offender id# 2074. Also know as Ice." I felt the hairs on the back on my neck prickle. "He demands to speak to you."  
  
StArRy- ok everyone! So the person who is borrowing my characters goes by the name frost00oo and his story is when fire meets Ice. Its got Naomi and Ice in it. But WARNING!! IT IS A RATED R FICT!! I read it and I was like, wow, this is very rated R.  
  
So read it if you get the chance, but not if you don't like rated R stuff. SO REVIEW!! 


	15. I need

Special Agent Calvin ushered me in into a long clear plastic tunnel leading into Ices cell.  
  
"I'll go alone," I insisted to Calvin as he tried to follow me. He tiled his head and frowned, but stepped back. I stepped in the flexible tunnel and heard a whoosh as it sealed off behind me. I looked back to Calvin who was still frowning disapprovingly at me.  
  
I walked down it, looking at the pores in the plastic. I guess that is where knock out gas comes in incase Ice tries to escape. I finally came to where the tunnel met a large metal door. I bent down to a small metal machine that was attached to the door instead of a doorknob. A stream of bright blue light scanned my eye. The door clicked open as my identity was confirmed.  
  
I gasped at the hot air of the room blasted my face as the door opened. I gagged as the boiling hot air tied to suffocate me. I stepped into Ices small cell. It was completely empty except for a toilet and a small brown cot in the corner. And there sat Ice, wearing a one piece bright orange prison suit. He sat on the bed with one leg arched to his chest as he unconcernedly drummed his fingers on the wall. He just looked.... board. He looked up to me and a soft smile spread on his charming face. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot impatiently.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Well what?"  
  
"Why did you call me here?!?!" I cried out in frustration at his calmness.  
  
"Ice can't remember." He said grinning. I made a sound of frustration, and blinked tying to get the heat from my eyes.  
  
"I suppose you're not much of an "Ice" anymore are you?"  
  
"Non," he replied sadly. He held out his hand and instead of Ice forming, water trickled down his fingers.  
  
"I think I'll call you Melted now," I tried to sneer; I was starting to feel lightheaded. I started to sway dangerously and put my arm out to keep from falling. Ice unarched his leg and scooted over on his bed.  
  
"You b' needin' t' sit down?" he asked gesturing to the empty space on his cot. I wasn't sure if he was really concerned, or just wanted to get in my pants.  
  
"Not on your life." I instead sat down on the hard cement floor, which was just as hot as the air around me. Ice stretched out over his bed and moved to the edge, propping his head up with one hand. He gazed at me for some time.  
  
"You b' really stupid, little girl." I glared at him, but couldn't help but wonder what he meant.  
  
"How long d' you tink dat dis will last?"  
  
"What are you talking about?" I asked suspiciously.  
  
"De Teen Titans. I mean, sure its been fun, but it cant b' de rest of your life." He bent his head over the side of the bed, close to mine.  
  
"What do you do, when dere b' no more bad guy? When de city don b' needin saving anymore?" I was stunned. I had never thought of this before. My face fell, lighting Ices fire to continue.  
  
"Ice used t' have de same problem," he rolled over on his back and stared at the ceiling. "Ice's fater was a good man, a criminal, but he loved Ice. My moter was different. He hated Ice. Den, one day; a rival gang shot my fater. When he b' gone, Ice had non reason to stay, so Icy run at age turteen."  
  
My eyes widened, tying to imagine being on my own at thirteen, but refused to let Ice see my concern.  
  
"Ice would have died on his own, but my faters gang took Ice in, taut Ice everting he know. Den Ice move to America, making a few stops on de way." He smiled, remembering back to all crimes he had committed. Then his face turned serious, he tuned his head to look at me.  
  
"Dere b' a time," he whispered softly, "When de alien girls go home t' deir planets. When de metal man and de green go t' dere families. Even de wonder boy has a place t' return t'." He reached out and stroked my cheek with his index finger. I glanced to the ground, feeling sick from reality.  
  
"Where d' you go? You have non home." He leaned over farther; so close our lips were brushing slightly.  
  
"I can offer you dat Naomi." I pulled back in surprise. He had never called me Naomi before. I had always been little girl or Cher, but he had never called me by my name before. My stomach sank as I realized he was serious about me.  
  
"I don't know," I whispered as I rose to my feet and sat next to him on the bed. I felt the bed shift as he squirmed up beside me.  
  
"You could move t' nother city," he said softly, "But den what happen when your new friends leave for deir homes as well?" I felt his warm breath in my ear. "You and I... we don' have homes. And I will always b' dere for you when de world turn its back on you." I felt him nibble on my ear lobe. I turned my head to tell him off, but his lips enclosed mine before I could say a word.  
  
I won't lie, I felt nice to be kissed, especial when I was feeling so bad. Then the next thing I knew, I had halve of Ices body on top of mine, just kissing me. My eyes flew open and I tried to push him off, but he was way to into what he was doing to notice. I managed to wrestle my lips away from his for a split second.  
  
"Get off!!"  
  
Ice stopped and stared at me, utterly bewildered.  
  
"Get off?" he repeated confusedly, as if he had never heard those to word together before. I caused vines to sprout from the ceiling and wrap around his arms, yanking him off me. I rolled off the bed and landed with a thump on the floor. I scrambled to me feet.  
  
"Don't. You. Ever. Touch. Me. Again," I hissed one word at a time. The look of bewilderment on Ices face was replaced with hurt as I stormed out of the cell.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I rolled over and stared up at my dark ceiling. Star and Raven had long since gone to bed, but I couldn't sleep. I glanced at my digital clock. The neon red numbers shown 2:47 in the morning. I sighed and rolled out of bed and walked to my window and looked out the window.  
  
The full moon shown over the dark blue water. The ripples in the pure blue water collected the silvery light from the moon. What would I do when I could no longer look out over these waters? Were would I go when my friends were only memories? When the tower was no longer my home?  
  
I looked past the water to the city. They won't always need me. I need them more than they need me. I tore my gaze from the window and leaned on my wall and shut my eyes. I wanted comfort. Not from Star or Raven, who would just make up excused in attempt to make me feel better. I wanted someone who would tell me the truth. I wanted...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"And please turn off the security cameras." I commanded Agent Calvin. He sighed disapprovingly at me, but obeyed me. I thanked him and traveled down the tunnel to Ices cell. I felt once again the hot air greet me as I pushed into his dark prison cell.  
  
I shut the door behind me softly, so I wouldn't wake him up. I looked to the cot where Ice laid sleeping.  
  
He had unzipped his orange prison uniform halve way, and folded it down so his naked upper halve was free of it. I tried imagining sleeping in the boiling hell. I took a few cautious steps closer.  
  
He was lying on his stomach with his arms stretched above his head, which was tilted to the side. I just stood there, watching him sleep, not wanting to wake him. But even unconscious, he could sense my presents. He slowly his eyes and blinked sleepily. His eyes focused on me and he smiled sadly.  
  
"Icy tought dat he was dreaming but non, peu d'ange really b' here." He rolled on to his back with his arms still above his head and he yawned. "What b' de reason you come t' visit Ice?" I dropped to my knees and rested my chin on the edge of his bed.  
  
"Can't sleep." I said simply. He sighed and scooted over to make room on his bed for me. With out really thinking about it, I climbed into his bed.  
  
He lay on his side with his arms open. I lay down and sank into his embrace. I let my body conform to the curve of his chest. He wrapped one arm over my waist and let his index finger trace small circles around my belly button.  
  
"Why can't you sleep cheer?"  
  
"I don't know... just been thinking about what you said."  
  
"Dats what you get for tinking." I let a small smile penetrate my face, but Ice couldn't see it. But he must have sensed it because he tightened his protective grip around me.  
  
"I've just..." I suddenly rolled over to face him, "I don't know."  
  
"You b' scared little girl." Ice said simply. I couldn't look him in the eye. He lifted his arm away from me and lifted up my chin with one finger. He finally coxed me to look him in his eyes.  
  
"Naomi?" he whispered. He only called my by my name when he was really serious about something.  
  
"Yes Giovanni?" he smiled at the sound of his name.  
  
"I will always b' dere t' take care of you, love." Then something clicked in my brain. I pushed myself out of his embrace. I fell out of the bed and landed on my butt, with a thoughtful expression on my face.  
  
"Cher?" Ice asked with a smile, I must have looked pretty funny sitting on the ground like that.  
  
"Wait," I said. I looked up to him, "I don't need you at all." His expression changed to pain.  
  
"What?" he asked weakly. I stood up and smoothed out my skirt.  
  
"Why am I so worried?" I asked myself out loud, "I can take care of myself. It's no big. Ice stood up wide-eyed, his uniform slipping down a little farther than it should have in the presents of a girl.  
  
"Naomi," he begged, "We-"  
  
"There is no 'we'." He shook his head and mouthed the word 'no' to me.  
  
"You" I said pointing to him, "Are a criminal. I am the opposite. I catch criminals."  
  
"Giovanni can change! I swear! I .... I can."  
  
"No, you cant, you are what you are. You will always be the enemy. You will always be in here, and I will always be out there."  
  
He had this expression one his face I had never seen before; I could practically hear his heart ripping in two. I don't know why I was being so mean to him.  
  
Think I need to. I had to convince myself that I hated him.  
  
"Au revoir Giovanni," I said as I turned to leave.  
  
"No! You cant..." he reached out to grab my arm, but I slammed the door behind me. I could hear his cries of anguish in the other side of the door. I stopped and looked to the barricade between us.  
  
I lifted my hand and pressed it to it. It was so simply. All I had to do is open the door. Then I could be with him.  
  
I'd be able to touch and kiss him, as he would stroke my back. I could run my hands through his dark hair as his tongue could explore mine. I'd be able to look into his gray eyes and cause him something other than pain.  
  
Suddenly a picture of Beastboy popped into my brain. I shut my eyes. If it were the other way around, if it was I locked up in there, Ice wouldn't even have to think about. He wouldn't hesitate to come to me. I slipped my hand off the door.  
  
"I cant do it Ice," I whispered, "I'm not like you. I have obligations." I exhaled roughly as I listened to Ice moan painfully in French behind the door. He moaned my name over and over.  
  
My heart gave a painful squeeze as I listened to his cries. I couldn't. I just couldn't. If I did, people would find out. The Titans would be over. It could ruin everything for my friends.  
  
So I just... left.  
  
StArRy- well, now you know why it is under the category of drama. The next chapter will be funnier so be prepared. Sorry it took my so fucking long to update. I've been super busy all week, but this weekend I'm going to post a ton of chappies. 


	16. promise

"Friend? Why do you not eat?" I looked up into Starfires bright green eyes.  
  
"Not hungry," I replied and rolled over in my bed.  
  
"You haven't left your room for halve a day." Raven informed me. Raven and Star had mutually agreed to put their differences aside, temporarily of course, to find out what the hell was wrong with me. I didn't even know what was wrong with me.  
  
"What is troubling you so?" asked Starfire softly. I sat up and looked up at my friends.  
  
"What will happen when the Titans are over?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"When were over. When the city doesn't need or want us anymore." Star and Raven exchanged troubled glances.  
  
"I...." Star looked to Raven for support. Raven cleared her throat.  
  
"Naomi, we don't know what the future holds, but trust me, we will always be there for you." I looked up at them.  
  
"We promise," Star added. I reached up and hugged both of them.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I giggled as the defeated troops returned after there one night in the wilderness. Robin had mud smeared all over his face and Beastboy had twigs and leafs sticking out of his hair. Cyborg had a huge dark circle under his one eye.  
  
"Wow!! You guys look like you had fun!" I said sarcastically as BB collapsed on the floor in front of me.  
  
"So hungry.... cant....move."  
  
"Oh yay! Is he going to die?" I asked Robin hopefully.  
  
"Hey!!" Beastboy exclaimed indignantly from facedown on the floor. I knelt down next to him and started pulling the twigs from his hair. Then the boys exploded into argument.  
  
"Well we would have been just fine if BEASTBOY DID'T SCARE ALL THE FISH AWAY!!"  
  
"DUDES! I was SAVING the fish! You guys were going to eat them!!"  
  
"We were supposed to eat them, stupid!! Oh and what about when kept us up all fucking night!?!?!"  
  
"I SWEAR I saw something! It was big foot or something! I saw its foot prints earlier!"  
  
"Dawg, those were my foot prints!"  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yeah Cyborg, like its ALL his fault, you couldn't even start a fire!"  
  
"Those matches were defective!"  
  
"You the one who's defective!"  
  
"You just retarded."  
  
"You all are retarded," I said brightly as I walked away from the guys squabbling.  
  
"BOYS ARE BACK!!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Star rocketed out from the kitchen.  
  
"They have finally returned?"  
  
"Yup. And look how much fun they had!" I said happily as I gestured to them. Cyborg had Beastboy in a headlock while the elf was pulling Robins hair.  
  
"Pulling Robins hair? Wow BB, you really know how to stick it to a guy." I said grinning as I walked over to them. I pried Beastboy from Cyborgs angry grip.  
  
"Don't chu be hurting muh little green elf, home boy." I said dragging BB away.  
  
"Come friends! I have prepared a feast to celebrate the return of our friends!" Stars voice loomed from the kitchen. I turned to BB.  
  
"I think we still have time to escape," I whispered.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I glanced to a defeated looked Beastboy across the table. Starfire had caught us and dragged us back to the table.  
  
"Good thing I located you before you accidentally left, you might have missed the dinner!" she had said as she had pulled Beastboy back inside from the doorway. Lucky us.  
  
"Here friends," Star said happily placing various dishes on the table. "I prepared the favorites of my planet." I looked down to my plate. I picked up a fork and cautiously poked the squid like animal lying on my plate. It shivered and squirmed. I shrieked as fell backwards out of my chair.  
  
"STAR! It's still moving!!"  
  
"Well of course, silly Naomi!" She giggled. When she turned around I empted my plate of "food" into the trash can. Beastboy grinned at me. Star turned back around and saw my empty plate.  
  
"Naomi? Were did your food go?"  
  
"Yeah Naomi!!" BB said laughing, "Where DID it go?"  
  
"I ate it." I informed her. "I was super hungry."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I flipped through my Glitter magazine for what seemed like the hundredth time while Star lied next to me. I finished reading the page.  
  
"Ready?" She nodded and I turned the page. This went on for some time, but Star eventually lost interest. She got up and started to pawed through my make up.  
  
"Uh, Star? Are you sure you want to do that?" I asked, remembering what had happened the last time Star had experimented with my "appearance enhancers". She had ended up looking like a clown from my nightmares. I shivered, I hate clowns. Clowns are freaks of nature. Star laughed as if I was being silly.  
  
"Of course I do!" She said as she smeared black eyeliner on her lips. I buried my face in my bed sheets so she wouldn't see me smile.  
  
"Black eyeliner on you lips looks great on you Star," I said through the sheets. Suddenly Ravens voice echoed from down stair.  
  
"Naomi? You might want to look at this..." I glanced up to Starfire who looked just as confused as I did. I shrugged and we when down stair to the living room where Raven was arguing with BB and Cy, insisting they had to get off the video game they were playing.  
  
Raven looked up at me with a funny expression on her face, clutching plain black videotape in her hand.  
  
"What's up?" Asked Robin as he entered the room, "And.... Star? What's on you lips?"  
  
"She's trying to Goth," I lied to Robin.  
  
"What is this 'Goth'?" Ravens voice cut into our conversation  
  
"Naomi, I..." She looked at me nervously, "I just got this video tape from the police station. You... might want to see it...alone."  
  
"But Raven! I believe a good marriage should be based on honesty and trust!" I said, grinned at the thought of us all being married to each other.  
  
"Naomi, I've seen this tape. I really think-"  
  
"Oh come on! I think we all should be able to trust each other." I snatched the tape from Raven who rolled her eyes, knowing in a few minute I would wish I had listened to her. This tape doesn't look so special, I thought as I put it in the VCR and started to rewind it. Everyone sat down on the sofa as if we were going to watch a movie.  
  
"Shall I make popcorn?" Asked Beastboy. Raven glared at him. The tape clicked to announce that it was done rewinding and I pressed play. I sat down on the sofa next to Beastboy. A news casting set appeared on the screen.  
  
"Ok and 3 2 1 and were rolling."  
  
"Good evening. This is Hank Day and Susan Moor," the anchor behind the new desk. I looked to Raven but she gestured back to the TV, telling me to keep watching. I looked back to the screen where Hank was telling everyone about a sports game that had taken place.  
  
"The Orks led the 31-12, but-" his sentence was cut off by a shriek from the woman anchor next to him.  
  
"Cut! Susan, what's wrong?" Asked her concerned coworker. Suddenly the entire news desk was coated with ice. My heart skipped a beat. Oh god. No...  
  
A very distraught looking Ice entered the screen.  
  
"Now," he commanded the news crew, "Dis b' Icys show. Camera, don' stop rolling if you b' wanting t' see tomorrow." The camera people must have wanted to see tomorrow because the tape continued. He turned and smiled a cute lopsided smile at the camera.  
  
"De camera love Ice, non?" He asked the female anchor. In spite of the situation, she giggled. Ice was right; girls do fall for him easily. He looked into the camera.  
  
"Naomi." He said firmly. He looked into the lens of the camera as if he was looking for me. "Naomi, please," this time he was pleading, "you b' hurting Ice so mauvais, so mauvais."  
  
Dear fucking god. He was poring his heart out to me on T.V.!! What was he trying to do?!?! Be romantic or some shit?!? Or embarrass me to no end!  
  
"You are de only one. You are mon ange doux. De only one." He smiled sadly, "I remember how you glare at Ice." He laughed softly, "How you insult Ice, you b' de only fille dat has seen past my charm, t' de real me. De criminal. De real Ice. And I hope you can love me anyway."  
  
His eyes when wide with pleading, "Icy sorry he have t' tell you like dis, but...you won't listen t' me any oter way." I was gripping the sides of the sofa so hard, my knuckles were turning white. Well, whiter than usual.  
  
"Je t'aime." He whispered to the cameras. "I never told anyone dat before, but I love you." With that he bid good day to the news crew and calmly walked out of the building. The news crew slowly rose to their feet.  
  
"Holy fucking god." One whispered. "We got us a story." Then the screen when blank. We all sat there unmoving.  
  
"But... we have the video tape right?" whispered Cyborg softly, "No one will ever know."  
  
"We have a copy of the tape," Raven said cautiously, "The media has the other. Tomorrow it will be all over the new." Robin when ballistic.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
There was explosion of hundreds of cameras going off as I held my head high. I marched stiffly with a firm frown on my face as I stormed to the podium to address the city. The room when silent, all wanting to see what I had to saw about the news hijack. I shrugged,  
  
"What can be said? He's a lunatic." With that I marched right back down from the podium. There was a moan of disappointment from the crowd; they had all wanted a juicer story. As I walked off to find Raven, Special Agent Calvin rushed up to the podium to explain how Ice had escaped. I already knew how he did it. I knew for days he could just use his melted Ice powers to flood the room, causing the mechanical lock to go fazzizle, but strangely, I didn't do anything about it.  
  
My face felt funny, like the corners of my mouth had weights on them, like my face was going to fall off. Raven came up to me and did a very rare thing. She put one arm around my shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry, it'll be okay." Suddenly a small group of reports ambushed us.  
  
"Oh my god! Are you and Raven lesbians?"  
  
"Naomi, is it true you and Ice have had sexual relations?"  
  
"When did you and Raven get together?"  
  
"Did he rape you?" I backed up in horror. Rumors of Ice and I were spreading like wildfire! And what was this about me and Raven being lesbians? Raven glared daggers at the group and led me away from them, and we took to the air.  
  
"Rumors," Raven spat with venom, "People just LOVE to spread them." Then her expression softened,  
  
"Don't worry about that, we ALL have had nasty rumors about us." She started listing them; "Robin and Beastboy were supposedly lovers at one point. Someone said that I slept with Robin to get on the team. Also, Starfire was a supposed transvestite. But the best one was about Cyborg." I giggled,  
  
"What was it?"  
  
"Well, people started saying he was a machine 'down there'."  
  
"Are you serious? The thought he had a mechanical..."  
  
"Yeah." I giggled insanely.  
  
"Wait, dose he?"  
  
"I'm not asking."  
  
"You know I will."  
  
StArRy- Oh no!! Were closing in on the last three chapters!!! Oh no!!! Well, review!! I want to take a vote, who should Naomi go out with, Ice or BB? It obvious she has feelings for both of them. Tell me in your review!!! 


	17. the cannon WHAT?

Cyborgs eyes widened in horror.  
  
"What the hell?!?"  
  
"It's a simple question," I said calmly, "Yes or no." He looked like he was going to die of embarrassment.  
  
"Well, when the explosion happened a couple years back, and scientists rebuilt me to what I am today, well..." He gave me a meaningful look.  
  
"Oh my god!!" I squeaked, "So if you wanted to... you could get... attachments to it?"  
  
"If I wanted to, yeah."  
  
"You should tell people!! Do you have any idea how many chicks you could get with that?!?"  
  
"With what?" asked Robin as he entered the living room.  
  
"Cys got a pleasure machine in his pants!!" I yelled just to embarrass Cyborg. Robin's eyes when wide,  
  
"You mean..."  
  
"Yes!" Cyborg replied looking frustrated.  
  
"A machine for pleasuring what?" asked Star as her and Beastboy and Raven entered the room. Cyborg looked like he wanted to disappear into the ground and never return. This was obviously a subject he didn't want to discuss with us.  
  
"For... you know..."  
  
"No I do not know." Star said completely bewildered.  
  
"Starfire," I said sighing, "Do you remember when I gave you the 'facts of life' talk for earthlings?"  
  
"Yes, you referred to it as 'the birds and the bees', but I do not understand how birds and winged insects relate to sexual-" then her expression changed, "Ohhhhh! I understand now!" She giggled, "Our friend Cyborg is a sexual satisfaction machine!"  
  
All the girls cracked up. Robin and Beastboy gave awkward looks at Cyborg. Who knows why, maybe it's a guy thing. Maybe they felt inferior or something stupid. Cyborg shrugged one massive shoulder, but smiled a little bashfully. Poor Cy, he never has girlfriends.  
  
Most girls are turned off by him being mostly metal. But this bit of information gave his reputation a huge boost, when I 'accidentally' let his secret slip to a huge crowd of girls at the mall. Now teen girls call for him almost every hour. Cyborg loves all this attention. He was even referred to as 'The cannon man' as one girl nicely put it. Ewwww.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I let out a moan of longing as I looked at the magazine clipping of my latest heartthrob.  
  
"Oh Oliver Wagner!" I said as I pushed his picture up to my lips. "I think I'm in love," I told Star, who was giggling to my obsession with the German actor.  
  
"Yes, he certainly is astatically pleasing," she said, trying to snatch my picture away.  
  
"No! He's mine!"  
  
"Naaaaaoooommmiii!" Beastboy sang from outside my door. He barged right in as looked around my room in surprise.  
  
"What did you do to your room?"  
  
"I made it better!" I replied confidently. Of course it was better! Who wouldn't want pictures of Oliver Wagner covering your walls and ceiling? At first Beastboy had a funny expression on his face, but then he grinned.  
  
"Ohhhh! Naomi and Oliver sitting in a tree!" then he started to shake his hips from side to side, "K.I.S.S.I.N.G.!" I mock glared at him,  
  
"I don't want to kiss him, duh! I just want to make love to him like an animal!" Star burst out laughing, but I don't really think she understood what I meant.  
  
Beastboy started changing from animal to animal. He crawled into my lap as a ferret and changed back into his human form.  
  
"Like an animal, huh? I can be an animal too. Animals are my thing ya know." I squinted my eyes at him, pretending not to understand what he meant to escape having to face relity that he like me, I didn't know if I liked him back yet.  
  
"What?" Best to play dumb when a confusing situation arises.  
  
"Never mind," he sighed. Star came to my rescue,  
  
"So, what action are the we going to take against Ice? He has not been located yet, right?"  
  
"No," I sighed and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Cyborg came sauntering into the kitchen. He was Mister. I've Just Had Four Dates In A Row. I elbowed Raven,  
  
"Mah dawgs been pimpin' it, yo!"  
  
"No shit!" he said excitedly.  
  
"I be a pimp too," I informed him.  
  
"Really?" Asked Star.  
  
"Hell yeah! I go cruisin' around in muh pimp mobile and pick up dem man hoes!!" Star smiled blankly, not understanding a word I had just said.  
  
"Oh really?" asked Cyborg grinning, "How do you pimp it, mack daddy Naomi?"  
  
"I parkin' lot pimp, yo!!" The others entered the kitchen right as I said "I parking lot pimp yo!!" They all gave me really weird looks.  
  
"Aw shit, there just jealous!" I said grinning at Cyborg.  
  
"Soooo," Robin said loudly, hoping to stop this conversation, "Beastboy, it was your turn to cook, what did you make for dinner?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After a meal of tofu brick, we all sat down in front of the TV, not watching it for once, but just enjoying each other's company. But then Beastboy decided to enjoy the stealing of my Oliver Wagner picture.  
  
"YOU ASS!! GIVE IT BACK YOU LITTLE FUCKER!!" He transformed into a green donkey and brayed at me in response to my first insult. He transformed back and grinned at me. I pounced on him, grabbing for the picture of my beloved.  
  
We laughed like idiots while everyone else started making bets on who was eventually going to get injured in the end. Many bets were placed on Beastboy.  
  
We wrestled on the floor for a while as I desperately tried to get my picture back, but he kept putting it out of my reach.  
  
"You peu de merde!" I shrieked. The room when quiet and Beastboy stopped struggling to stare at me.  
  
"Was that French."  
  
"Yeah so? It's just an insult I picked up from Ice. So what. It means little shit." The others stared at me suspiciously, but Beastboy waved my picture in fount of my face. I gasped.  
  
"You ripped it! Now I really am going to kick that green ass of yours!" He laughed as transformed into a dog. He licked my face.  
  
I laughed until he licked my face again. Not a friendly dog lick, but kinda slow. I looked up at him and realized he wasn't in his doggy from anymore.  
  
His eyes opened wide in shock. He muttered an apology and scrambled away. I touched the place on my face where his tongue had been; completely forgetting that everyone else was still sitting on the sofa wide eyed.  
  
I stood up slowly and mumbled that I needed to take a walk. I headed out the door. I needed some time to think.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
* StArRy- Well ladies and gentlemen, its finally happened. My first flame. Well, its bound to happen sometime or another. Not everyone is going to like my story. I looked up the word atrocity from the flame, and it says that I was being,  
  
n 1: the quality of being shockingly cruel and inhumane  
2: an act of atrocious cruelty  
  
0_o I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a defensive bitch, but I don't think I was being shocking cruel and inhuman.  
  
Well more news, this is the second to last chapter. But never fear! I suddenly broke through my writer's block and I have a sequel to a sequel coming up! So yeah, I'll get that it in a couple of days.  
  
Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, I want to stretch out the story as long as I can! I don't want it to end! Well, Review! And no unconstructive flames please! 


	18. swinging

I walked around the park aimlessly for hours. It was well after two in the morning, but I couldn't go home. Not yet. I needed to think.  
  
I finally came across a small playground in the dark. I climbed up to the top of a tall silver slide in the sand and sat on the top. I drew my knees to my chest and looked out over the playground. I knocked a couple of grains of sand down the slide and watched them tumble down to the bottom.  
  
I heard a high-pitched giggle and a creak of chains. My head snapped around and my body tensed. I looked over to the other side of the playground and saw a little girl swinging on the swings. Her blond hair whipped around her narrow shoulders as she swung back and forth, kicking her legs as high as she could, trying to go higher. She giggled again and kicked her legs into the sand, slowing the swing.  
  
Shit! What the hell was she doing! Crazy girl! I scrambled down the slide as fast as I could.  
  
"Hey! HEY!" I called over to her. She looked up at me, the smile never faltering on her flushed little face.  
  
"Little girl!! Do you have ANY idea what time it is?!?!" I yelled out to her. She looked at me curiously, and then started pumping her legs to start swinging again.  
  
"No, stop that!" I grabbed the chains of the swing, trying to keep them still.  
  
"Hey!" she looked at me reproachfully. What the hell was this kid doing?!? It's so fucking dangerous for little kids to be wandering alone, especial at two in the morning!  
  
"Do you have ANY idea what time it is?!?" I repeated angrily, "What are you doing?!?!"  
  
"Swinging," she said dreamily as she looked to the dark sky.  
  
"No, you- hey! Look at me! No... Look. At. Me." She finally directed her gaze into my eyes.  
  
"You can't be wandering around at night."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because its dangerous."  
  
"What's dangerous about it?" I looked at her, wondering if she would be able to understand if I explained it to her. She smoothed out her plaid jumper and adjusted her white tights and black buckle shoes. She looked up to me.  
  
"I like your hair. I'm going to wear mine like that now." She started humming dreamily and used the toe if her shoe to draw pictures in the sand. I stood there, looking at her, finally I got a hold of my wits.  
  
"You need to go home," I said firmly.  
  
"Ok, where is it?" I stared at her.  
  
"You mean you don't have a home?"  
  
"No." I looked at her spotless dress and shinny shoes.  
  
"Are you lying to me?" I asked her carefully.  
  
"No, mother tells me it's wicked to lie."  
  
"Ok... so you have a mother. If you have a mother you must have a home."  
  
"I did I left." I narrowed my eyes at the girl.  
  
"You left? Did you run away?"  
  
"No"  
  
"If you didn't run away, why are you here?"  
  
"I want running away from something, I was running to something." She said giggling.  
  
I looked down the picture she had been drawing in the sand. It was a picture of an alarm clock with a skull in the center. This girl needed help, she might be ill in the head. She leaned back in her swing and started spinning. She squealed.  
  
"Spin me faster! I want to be so dizzy I get sick!"  
  
"No," I said calmly. I tried to grab her arm, but she spanned out of my reach. She up-righed herself and let her head flop around in little circles. She looked up to the sky again. She started pumping her skinny legs to gain altitude.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Swinging."  
  
"Yes, I can see that. But why are you swinging?"  
  
"I want to swing so high, I can touch the clouds with my toes."  
  
"That's not possible."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"It just isn't." She stopped suddenly. She turned her head to me.  
  
"I can't go home."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Its too far away."  
  
"How far."  
  
"Over the bridge and through the woods." I arched my eyebrows,  
  
"Is that all? Just cross the bridge then."  
  
"I can't."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I already told you! Its too far away!"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Its too far away! Years too far!" I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I knew this story, it was my story.  
  
"Why didn't you just stay on the other side of the bridge?" I asked her softly, "Why did you even cross it? You had no reason to. Why didn't you stay?"  
  
"Its actually more of a question of why did I come." She said carelessly, "Too many minutes, but not enough seconds. Hundred and fifty years too much and not enough time." She pointed to the clock in the sand.  
  
"Who are you?" I asked softly. She giggled,  
  
"Don't you recognize me? You should know me! But I don't know you." Suddenly she became serious.  
  
"You can't stay."  
  
"Stay where?"  
  
"There."  
  
"Where is that?"  
  
"You just cant." She suddenly hopped off her swing.  
  
"Wait! Where are you going?"  
  
"Where you cannot." I reached out my hand to grab her, but she pranced out of my reach.  
  
"Little girl! Hold on! Where-"  
  
"Yoooou caaaant staaaay!" She sang tauntingly over her shoulder as if it was a game, as she danced into the darkness. I could hear her girlish laugh echoing in the distance.  
  
"What the fucking hell?!?" I yelled covering my face in my hands. What the hell was that all about? Who was she, I asked myself.  
  
But deep down, I knew who she was. She was me. I can't explain or reason it. But she was. I sat down in the swing seat she had been sitting in, it was cold. I rocked my body slightly, swinging a little. What did she mean I couldn't stay? Stay where? Here at the tower? I rubbed my eyes.  
  
I looked down to the picture in the sand. With a swift movement of my foot, I erased the clock and skull. I leaned back in the swing and looked up to the sky. The crescent moon looked like a devilish smile in the dark nights sky. I suddenly kicked my legs and felt the night's air on my face as the chains rattled.  
  
As I swung, I leaned my head back, looking up at the pole where the chain was attached. It the chain broke, I could fall. It's a delicate chain, I suppose. If even one link was broken, the entire chain falls. All it takes is one weak link.  
  
As the swing sailed upward, I left the seat and flew upwards into the sky. I had to leave; there was someone at home I needed to talk to. * * * * * * *  
  
StArRy- ok, I know that this was really confusing, but its supposed to be. And yes, that was little Naomi. This has A LOT of symbolism that is going to be important in the third story. So remember this chapter. And there will be an explanation to the little girl in the third book. And the last line of the story suggests that Naomi is going home to Beastboy.  
  
And I like to recognize some of my most faithful reviews at the end of my stories, so here you go!  
  
Important! - These are people who have reviewed more than five times.  
  
* *  
  
Boogalaga- You promised in one of your reviews that you would be one of my most faithful reviewers. And you are!! I REALLY hope you go on and read my other story, and I want to read some ficts of yours, so write one and I promise to read it.  
  
Softballtitan009- I love your reviews! They are always so sweet. I hope maybe you'll write another like the one I posted on my bio, because I want to start a collection. It was funny. I also love Ravens Nest. It's a really good fict peoples! So read it!  
  
Raven A. Star- You defiantly win the most reviews award. You reviewed for ever chapter in all my stories. And they were REALLY funny! They always made me laugh. PLEASE go on to read my next story!  
  
The Anime Kid and Chaos Girl- I love how there is two of you! I love how in your review you always to a duet conversation thing in the review. It's cute. Also, when are you going to post another chapter on your story? I'm dieing here!  
  
Well, see you all in my next story! Bye! 


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